


Fire and Ice

by firestar2024



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Child Abuse Warning, College AU, F/F, Neighbor au, Physical Abuse, Sanvers - Freeform, SuperCorp, a little at least, i love karlena, karlena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-13 08:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 45,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9114607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firestar2024/pseuds/firestar2024
Summary: When Kara and Lena first meet in class, neither of them know just how important the other will become in their lives. Once they realize that they have but a thin wall separating them, they're able to become so much closer than they'd ever imagine. But as long as Lillian Luthor is out and about, no aliens are safe. What happens when Lena must choose between her mother and the girl she grows to love?





	1. Walking on Thin Ice

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction ever, for both life and this fandom. Please leave constructive criticism.  
> Yes, yes, a corny title. I'll probably change it, but it was the only one I could think of.

Kara Danvers dropped one last box into her new apartment and wiped her hands clean of dust. Alex, her older sister, panted as she stormed into Kara’s apartment, holding both her abdomen and a lamp.

“Here,” wheezed Alex, “You forgot this.”

“Oh my gosh, are you okay? I could’ve just gone downstairs and gotten it myself, Alex, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble…”

Alex leaned against the wall and dismissed her sister, still panting.

“It’s...fine...I’ll...be...fine,” she responded, taking a deep breath between each word.

Kara smiled at Alex and pushed up her glasses. She rushed to her and gave her a huge hug, making Alex gasp even more. Kara immediately let go.

“I’m so sorry! Let me help…”

Alex backed away from Kara a little bit.

“Elevator...was...too...slow. I...wanted...to...get...here...quickly.”

“Thank you, Alex.”

Alex nodded and began her trek back downstairs, where her car was. It had taken quite a few trips to get to Kara’s new place. After all, moving into the 8th floor of any building would do that.

“Room 809,” sighed Kara. “I can’t believe I have my own place.”

For the rest of the day, Kara unpacked her things and setting furniture up in the way that made her feel at home. Although she wished Alex could’ve helped her, she knew that Alex had to help Maggie with something. Besides, Kara took the opportunity to really get to know her place. She noticed the loose plank in the bedroom closet, she noticed the hiding space underneath the kitchen island, and she definitely noticed that her oven could hold about two pizzas at once. Kara knew that if she really wanted to, she could’ve used her alien powers to settle everything, but she had promised her family that her powers would stay hidden. But because of all the physical activity Kara had done without them, it took no time before Kara was knocked out on her bed.

It seemed the apartment came with another quaint attribute: thin walls. In the middle of the night, Kara stirred from her sleep, noticing a somber sobbing noise. She checked her phone to make sure that it wasn’t some creepy voicemail, but the crying became more audible. Pressing her ear to the wall, she realized she could hear someone from the other side sniffing and crying.

“H-he told me h-he was g-g-going to go d-do something g-g-good, not g-g-get put in p-p-prison!”

“Hey,” Kara found herself saying. “It’s going to be okay.”

The voice on the other side went silent. “N-no i-it’s not! My b-b-brother’s in prison and I thought I c-c-could finally t-trust him! I thought he c-cared about me enough!”

“Um...how did the lazy teen react to his mother’s nagging?” A pause resounded, filled in by a few sniffles. “He called her starchy! Get it? Because she called him a couch POTATO!”

The sniffles were replaced by a few chuckles. “Oh golly, that’s awful.”

“Why did the rabbit try to eat the patient?” Pause. “Because the patient was a vegetable!”

Even more laughs came through the wall. “Oh, I might just cry if I weren’t so desperate.”

Determined, Kara came up with more terrible jokes. “What did the composer say to the jazz performer?”

“Don’t de-compose?” suggested the voice, giggling at their own joke.

“Close. He said “Are you de-composing inside? Coz you sound a bit blue.””

The person on the other side burst into laughter. Soon, the laughter ceased, but so did the sniffling. It seemed as though Kara’s neighbor had fallen asleep.

“Well, I should be sleeping too. I have to get up at 6 for my 8 AM class tomorrow!” she thought giddily as she curled up.

“Good night,” she whispered through the wall. She swore she heard a soft voice responding, but it was most likely her imagination.

 

* * *

 

At exactly 6 in the morning, Kara woke up and got ready for her first day of senior year at National City University. It was weird to wake up alone, as opposed to knowing that Alex was in another room. Alex had moved in with her girlfriend, Maggie, over the summer, and although Kara had stayed with them, she knew that staying there would be stressful and an invasion of privacy. After all, having Kara there did mean that Alex and Maggie were a bit restricted.

After making breakfast and getting dressed, Kara grabbed her notebook and coffee and headed out to Philosophy 102 at 7:30 AM.

Of course, she was early. Nobody was in sight, not even the professor herself. Professor Grant was known for being timely, not early, of course, but Kara had hoped she could impress her professor by showing up before anyone else. She opened the door to the lecture hall and took a seat in the front row. Students began to fill the room about twenty minutes later, and finally, the professor walked in.

“Do not expect me to babysit you, and guide you through everything in this course. You will be responsible for everything you do. Do your own work, but my door will be open. Office hours will be posted on my website,” Professor Grant began. “Now, on page 45 of your textbooks you will find a copy of Plato’s _Allegory of the Cave_ -”

“Excuse me, Professor Grant,” interrupted Kara. “Is there some sort of...syllabus, maybe? Or something to help us...get settled in a little? It IS 8 in the morning.”

“Ms…?” glared Professor Grant, pulling down her glasses.

“Kara. Danvers. You can just call me Kara.”

“Kiera, this is Philosophy 102. This is for sophomores and above. I expect you to know how college works, correct? Unless you are a tottering little freshman, do not interrupt me. We begin right away with my course. Do not expect some grace period. You pay forty grand a year for this education, so take advantage of all this time. Understand? Now, read through _Allegory of the Cave_.”

Embarrassed, Kara flipped to the passage and began to read it. The door creaked open and in sped a girl with long, dark hair and pale green eyes. She looked panicked and had dark circles under her eyes. Luckily for this girl, the seat closest to the door was free and Professor Grant was too preoccupied with some other student. Of course, this seat was next to Kara’s.

“Hey, you okay?” whispered Kara.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine,” said the other girl, glancing over at Kara’s textbook to find the page.

“You didn’t miss a whole lot. I mean, you did miss Professor Grant yelling at me, but…”

“KIERA! Do you have something important to share with all of us? I suggest you use your time wisely.”

“Well, there she goes,” muttered Kara under her breath.

The girl leaned over and wrote in Kara’s notebook.

“Is Kiera your name?”

“No,” she wrote back. “It’s Kara. I don’t know why she calls me that. Who are you?”

“I’m Lena Luthor.”


	2. A Wish GRANTed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your notes last time! I did change a few things in Chapter 1!

Kara had heard all about the Luthors from Alex, mostly about how entitled and disgusting they were.

“They’re all just xenophobic, terrible people! They don’t care about anyone but themselves!”

“Alex, you can’t just label an entire family!”

“Well, that’s been my experience, at least. Lex Luthor and his mother are selfish and hateful scum!”

But Kara didn’t see “selfish and hateful scum” when she looked at Lena. She merely saw a girl who was worked beyond her own health. Besides, who was Kara to judge, when she knew nothing about the girl herself? It wouldn’t be fair to label Kara merely because of what Alex or Eliza did, especially because Kara was adopted. Kara pushed all of Alex’s warnings about the Luthors to the back of her mind as she continued writing notes to Lena.

“What’s your major?” Kara wrote.

“Mechanical Engineering and Business. You?”

“Journalism and Literature.” At this, Lena smiled.

“Makes sense,” Lena responded.

The click of Professor Grant’s heels became increasingly audible as she made her way closer to Kara and Lena. Both girls began to speed read and took notes as quickly as they could, making sure to cover up their conversations from before.

“Kiera. I want to see you in my office after class,” said Professor Grant, glaring into Kara’s eyes.

“Y-yes of c-course. You will see me there!”

“I better.”

Professor Grant made her way up to the front of the room to lecture about Plato. Meanwhile, Kara continued writing notes to Lena.

“Do you want to go for drinks this evening? Noonan’s at 7?” she asked Lena.

“Sure thing,” Lena responded, smiling.

 

* * *

 

After class, Kara nervously made her way to her professor’s office, waiting outside until she saw her coming.

“Professor Grant, I apologize for interrupting you in class today. You were totally correct about how us upperclassmen should really be more responsible and used to college life and I’m really sorry because it won’t happen again-”

“Kiera, I did not have you see me after class just so you could go on and on about how I’m right. Of course I’m right. Anyways, come into my office. We have some things to chat about.”

Professor Grant shuffled some papers on her desk and grabbed her thermos of coffee before sitting down to talk to Kara.

“Kiera, I called you here because I would like for you to be my assistant.”

Kara gaped in shock. “Your a-assistant?”

“Yes. Not a TA, but just a helping hand. After class, you would just help me with some duties.”

“But why?”

“Well, Kiera, you need to learn to be more assertive. Although as my assistant and student you will be inferior to me, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to stick up for yourself more. No, you were not right to interrupt me during class, but I peg you as the type to apologize too often.”

Kara looked down at her hands and whispered a tiny “yikes” to herself.

“I’ll accept.”

“Good. I expect that you’ll be here immediately after class to assist me, unless you have another class.”

“No, no, my next class isn’t until 11. I will be happy to assist you.”

“Very well. See you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Professor Grant.”

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Kara checked her clock and noticed that it was 6:55 PM - 5 minutes before she was supposed to meet Lena.

“Shit!” she said, straightening out her skirt and brushing off popcorn crumbs. She’d been too busy watching a new superhero show that had come to Netflix. Kara fixed her glasses and her hair, typing it up into a bun before running out to Noonan’s. She hoped that Lena wasn’t already there, waiting for Kara to show up. That wouldn’t be a great start to their friendship.

“Thank gosh I didn’t wear heels!” Kara thought. “Well, I’ll have to wear band-aids on my heels next time, but this was worth it!”

Kara, with her wildly flinging purse, finally skidded to a stop in front of the coffeeshop and bar, Noonan’s. Walking inside, she hoped to see Lena’s familiar, friendly face looking for her. When she didn’t spot her, Kara sighed in relief and found an empty set of barstools.

“What would you like?” asked the bartender.

“Uhhh, I’ll take a club soda,” said Kara, giving him a $5 bill.

“Aight, it’ll be right up.”

Kara looked at her phone for the time. It was a few minutes past 7, but Kara had hope that Lena would show up, even if she was late. As if she had narrated the whole thing, Lena walked into the bar, wearing a simple leather jacket and jeans.

“Hey!” Kara said, waving at Lena. Lena glanced over and began to walk over.

“Hey you,” said Lena, taking a seat next to Kara. She turned to the waiter. “I’ll have a peach schnapps.”

“Is that any good?” asked Kara.

“Well, I have no idea. I figured I might try something new tonight.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah, yeah, me too. Sorry if I was a bit late or something...usually I’m right on time but today has just not been a good day.”

“Something wrong?”

“Well, I received a call from Mother today about my brother. I’m sure you’ve heard all about Lex and his antics that got him arrested?”

“Actually, no, I haven’t.”

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to be a part of that mess. But basically, he went after some refugees in Metropolis, bombing the slums and saying that they don’t belong in America.”

“Oh...yikes.”

“Yeah, so I understand if you see me differently or if you’re wary of me or anything, really.”

“I don’t care,” Kara said, putting a hand onto Lena’s arm. “Who you are is separate from what your family is.”

“I guess I know that, but almost everyone think I’m just another Luthor.”

Alex’s words came back to Kara, but Kara, yet again, fought them and shoved them to the back of her mind.

“You’re Lena. Not your brother, not your mother, but Lena.”

“Thanks.”

“So, how were your classes today?” asked Kara, trying to change the subject.

“Fine, fine. Not to brag, but they’re really easy for me.”

“I’m glad they’re easy for you. At least you know you’ll be doing well in that class.”

“What about yours?” asked Lena, taking a sip of her newly arrived peach schnapps.

“Journalism was okay. Snapper, my professor, already seems to hate me.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Do you have an article assigned yet?”

“Yes, it’s about some new budget cuts of some company nearby.”

“Interesting…? Hey, if it’s related to business anyhow, I can try to help.”

“Yeah! That would be really great,” said Kara, drinking her club soda. “How’s the schnapps?”

“It’s actually not bad. I like it,” Lena said, giving a bit of a smirk and a nod.

“Should I try it next time?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“So, Lena, why did you take Philosophy, if your major’s mechanical engineering?”

“I could ask the same for you. Well, I’ve always been interested in the topic. Besides, Father thinks I should get into the brighter light of Cat Grant so that our companies can be allies. Cat - Professor Grant - doesn’t really like our family too much.”

“Well, Professor Grant, like you said, is queen of media and we are lucky to have her as a teacher, but it would be really awesome to eventually work for CatCo magazine, y’know? As an aspiring journalist, it would be the dream to be acquainted with her.”

“I see, I see. I wonder why she teaches Philosophy.”

“Maybe, like the both of us, it’s just another thing we decided to give a go at.”

The two continued talking for hours. Kara found herself really getting into conversation with Lena, and feeling herself click with her, something that rarely happened to Kara. They kept the conversation to a more introductory level, but Kara found herself wanting to know more about Lena.

“Alex was wrong,” Kara thought. “Lena is nothing like her family.”

Kara felt ashamed that she’d even suspected Lena of being “just another Luthor.” She was glad she’d gone out with Lena tonight, or perhaps that subconscious prejudice would have stayed at the back of her mind constantly.

“Earth to Kara,” said Lena, waving her hands in front of Kara.

“Huh?” responded Kara, shaking her head and staring at Lena.

“You alright there?”

“Um, I have to be honest, Lena.”

“Shoot.”

“So yes, truthfully, when you said you were a Luthor my mind immediately drifted to what my sister had said about you and I feel really bad because she’s had a bad experience with Lex but also I knew that you weren’t like him and it really bothered me because I kept hearing Alex over and over and I feel really guilty still and I hope you’re not angry and-”

“Woah, woah, woah. I’m not sure run on sentences are good for a journalist,” chuckled Lena, grabbing Kara’s hands. “Calm down a little. It’s fine.”

“I just feel like a bad person, you know?”

“Kara, you gave me a chance. You said yourself that you didn’t think that I was like Lex, right?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s all that matters. I know many people hate me because of what Lex has done, and what my parents have done, but clearly, you don’t.”

“Okay. Hey, Lena, I had a great time with you.”

“Me too, Kara,” said Lena, getting up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lena.”

“You too, Miss Kiera.”

“Ack, stop it.”

Lena and Kara parted ways; Lena was off to her apartment, while Kara was on her way to a Chinese restaurant to have some potstickers. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, or what time of night, because potstickers called to Kara 24/7.

 

* * *

 

Kara had been sleeping when she found herself rubbing her eyes and getting up, hearing the crying coming from the other side of the wall.

“I hope they’re okay,” mumbled Kara.

“Mom, you need to stop comparing me to him! I know you love him more than me, but this needs to stop! All my life you’ve been doing nothing but criticizing me for NOT being like him. “Your brother” this “your brother” that. I’m sick of it!” yelled the voice, sniffling a little in the mix. Kara heard a slam of a phone being thrown against something and assumed the call was over.

“Did you know, up until I began college, I believed in Santa Claus?” said Kara through the wall.

“What?”

“Yeah! My foster dad, he actually started the tradition. He would help me set up cookies and milk for Santa, and in the morning, he’d eaten the cookies and left presents. Once he died, though, my sister took over the tradition. Of course, I couldn’t tell the difference. I just believed that Santa was the one responsible for my gifts and those cookies.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your dad, but I can’t believe you were fooled!”

“My sister saw just how much I loved Christmas. In December, I would count down the days and even hours to Christmas! I would run around the house singing carols and hanging up decorations and making sure everyone got into the spirit. She didn’t have the heart to let my Santa dreams die.”

“Your family sounds really great,” sniffled the voice, with a bit of an edge.

“They are. I’m sorry that your family is really troubling you. You don’t deserve that meanness.”

“Can you tell me another story while I fall asleep?”

Kara heard this and grew delighted. Of course, she sympathized for what her neighbor had to deal with, but she was glad to be of assistance.

“When I was younger, my sister and I always loved to surprise our parents, as children do. We decided that we would try to bake some chocolate chip cookies for them.

“I grabbed a bottle of clear liquid, thinking it was water, and poured it into the mixture. My sister, being the science nerd she is, immediately saw what it was and tried to grab it out of my hand, but she was too slow. The vinegar that I poured in reacted with the baking soda that was in the dry ingredients and made a mess everywhere.

“She tried to clean up the mess, and scolded me in the process, but I wondered what it would taste like. I took my hand and scooped up what was in the bowl and tasted it. I threw up not even five minutes later, and our parents came home. They saw what had happened but instead of grounding us, they made US chocolate chip cookies.”

Kara waited for her neighbor to respond, but she heard nothing but silence.

“I’m glad I could help,” she whispered, hoping not to wake the person on the other side of the wall. “I’ll be here.”


	3. HOLEy Crap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here! If you're noticing, the chapters are getting progressively longer. I didn't want to rush them into their friendship too much, which is why I took two whole chapters just to set it up. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for your comments! Please leave a Kudos if you enjoy my fic!

The next morning, Kara woke up at 7. She felt risky making this decision, but she saw just how early she was and figured it would be okay to arrive only a few minutes early. Before she left, she prepared a coffee not only for herself, but for Lena as well. She’d hesitated at first, unsure of how the gesture would be taken, but she finally decided to just go for it.

“Lena looked exhausted yesterday. Maybe coffee would help, but even having someone care about you helps with your exhaustion,” thought Kara.

This time around, she had five minutes before class began. Truthfully, the other students had been glancing at her as though she were crazy yesterday, once they realized she’d been sitting in the front row for more than twenty minutes before class. It did make Kara feel a little out of place, since she didn’t really have anyone else with her, but she did her best to ignore it. Today, most people had arrived before the bell. Kara hoped that Lena would arrive on time, but class had begun and she’d begun to miss the presence in the seat next to hers.

“Is she okay?” thought Kara. “I hope nothing serious is going on with her.”

Professor Grant glanced around the room about ten minutes after class started and checked for attendance.

“Kiera, do you know where Ms. Luthor is?” she asked, pointing her pen at the empty seat.

“No, professor. I have received no word of her whereabouts.”

“Very well,” noted Professor Grant, checking something down on her notepad.

The door once again creaked open, causing Kara to snap her head, but nothing was there. Every time the door made any noise, Kara looked for Lena. A few minutes later, Lena finally arrived, sneakily zooming through the door, but it was the one time Kara decided not to look at the door. Professor Grant noticed Lena coming through the door as well, and walked by to drop a note at Lena’s desk.

“Here, I brought you some coffee,” whispered Kara, handing her a thermos. Of course, the thermos had kept it warm, but it was more Kara using her heat vision right before entering the room.

This was an odd habit for Kara. She didn’t usually go about using her powers in mundane ways such as heating up food, and she certainly didn’t use her super hearing or her super strength. She’d always considered the convenience, but it had never seemed worth the risk before. Now, here she was, heating Lena’s coffee with her Kryptonian powers.

“Thanks,” said Lena. Without looking up, she took the thermos.

Lena looked awful. Her hair was sticking out in places, the bags under her eyes were more pronounced, and her voice sounded all gravelly, as though she had been crying all night. Kara would’ve been hurt by Lena’s coldness had she not noticed all this. Although she cared about what was up with Lena, she didn’t really want to ask her “Hey, are you okay?” because clearly, she wasn’t. Instead, Kara leaned over to Lena’s desk and began writing.

“My phone number’s 235-2343.”

“Mine’s 245-3467,” wrote Lena.

“You can talk to me if you need anyone, okay?” whispered Kara.

“Thanks.”

The rest of class went without conversation between the two. Even though it was only the second day, Kara had quite enjoyed the previous day’s notebook conversations, and missed them already. It usually took more to get Kara attached to a person, but something was different about Lena. Here was Lena: someone Kara easily got attached to, someone Kara immediately took a liking to, and someone who Kara was willing to risk exposure just to warm her drink for. But Kara didn’t mind. She liked that she actively wanted to befriend Lena. She liked that she could be helpful to someone. And most of all, she liked that Lena liked talking to her too.

Professor Grant kept lecturing on the board, all of which Kara took a million notes on; however, most of these notes were about her professor’s personality. Kara wanted to get a true picture about her so that being her assistant could possibly easier. By the end of class, Kara felt ready enough to carry out the job. She made her way to Professor Grant’s office as quickly as she could, but overheard her ask Lena to see her in her office.

“I hope she’s not in serious trouble,” thought Kara as she walked down the hall.

Once she got to the office, she sat in the seat across from where her professor would be sitting. In a few minutes, Professor Grant showed up with Lena, who was holding Kara’s thermos.

“Kiera, you can go to the room right over there and sort out the stack of papers alphabetically. Stick tabs for each letter.”

“Right away, professor.”

Kara began scanning the titles of each packet to order them. Slow as a turtle at first, she found a way to quickly sort them out. However, she grew distracted as she continued her job, concerned for Lena’s well being and an internal conflict about using her super hearing for the situation ensued. She figured that it couldn’t hurt, since maybe it would help her be a better friend for Lena.

“I understand if you’re going through a hard time right now, Lena. As long as you keep your work up, it’ll be okay. You can talk to me,” said Professor Grant. Silence. “Lena, what’s happening to your family right now is not your fault.”

“I’m just sick of the whole thing. A part of me hates that I’m always going to be labeled as a Luthor, despite my differences from them all. From Lex, from Mother, from Father.”

“I know. It can be tough and the world isn’t fair and there are just people you are just going to have to ignore because those are the voices that do not matter.”

“I can’t just ignore everyone!”

“No, no, Lena. What you do is you prove and earn the right that your voice matters. Not as a Luthor, but as you. If you want to assert your feelings, people want proof that you’re nothing like your brother.”

“It won’t matter, Cat. It won’t because everyone cares about me being a Luthor. That’s all anyone sees. No one sees anything else.”

“Ms. Danvers - ah, Kara - seems to not care.”

“I know, I know, and I appreciate it, but I just wish it could be like that with everyone. I wish the first thing people didn’t ask me was about Lex,” Lena began to cry a little.

“Don’t you cry, Lena Luthor. You are much stronger than this. Hold on to the hope you have and take a dive with new people. You might find more people like Kara who are willing to offer you a clean slate with them.”

“Thank you, Cat.”

“Here, I’m Cat. Out there, I’m Professor Grant.”

“I know.”

Kara was shocked by how well Professor Grant seemed to know Lena. Were they family friends? Did they know each other before classes even began? She hated that she had to use her powers for eavesdropping, but she was glad she did. At least now, she knew what was bothering Lena. Using her super speed, she flipped through all the papers and organized them to make up for lost time, just as Professor Grant walked into the room.

“That was remarkably quick, Kiera. Perhaps you’ll be quite the helpful assistant,” Professor Grant commented.

“I hope, I mean, as an assistant, I hope to assist you, and I hope you be quick so that assisting you is no pain for you,”

“You are quite the hopeful one.”

“Do you have any more work for me, professor?”

“You’re free to go for today. I’ll be sure to give you more work next time.”

Kara chuckled. “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor Grant.”

“Goodbye.”

As she walked out of the room, Kara felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re Cat’s assistant?” asked a familiar voice. Turning around, Kara found Lena looking right at her. They began walking down the hall together.

“Y-yeah, I am. She asked me yesterday after class, after the whole interrupting thing you missed.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Did you hear what we talked about?”

Kara began to panic. If she said that they were loud, it would be a lie. If she said she overheard, it wouldn’t be a lie, but it would be somewhat revealing. If she said no, it would be a lie.

“I-i only heard bits and pieces.”

“What bits and pieces?”

“Only the part about diving in.”

“She likes to say that a lot.”

“Do you know her?”

“Cat?”

“Yes, Professor Grant.”

“She and I have talked before. Like I said, she doesn’t like my family, but she seems to be fond of me. Maybe it’s because I’m not a xenophobic piece of crap like the rest of them.”

“I think Professor Grant is a softie at heart, and sees a bit of herself in her.”

“What?”

“Well, Professor Grant puts on this icy exterior, kind of like how you do with your family and the public image and all, but on the inside you’re all soft hearted and vulnerable like the rest of us. Inside, you and I are alike.”

“If you mean anatomically, yes.” This soft attempt at humor was clearly an aversion from the real question hanging above them.

“Lena-”

“I must go,” said Lena, rushing off in the other direction. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“Maybe I said something wrong,” thought Kara. “Was that reading too deep into it? I’ll talk to her later. Right now, potstickers are calling me.”

 

* * *

 

Kara averaged around 3 trips to the Chinese restaurant per day for the past two days. The owners of the restaurant were already giving her weird looks, but went with it, since it always helped business. With each trip she bought the same thing: 3 orders of 10 potstickers. It had been her comfort food in high school, and she’d never gotten sick of it or from it once. After all, as an alien, she ended up burning tens of thousands of calories a day, and she needed all the calories in order to not pass out.

After her third order of potstickers, she was making herself at home when she received a text from Winn, one of her best friends.

“I should really text Lena,” she thought before opening the text.

“I walked in on Siobhan and some other guy going at each other in the Chemistry supply closet,” it said. “I’d originally gone to find her so that I could give her some chocolates, but apparently, some other guy was already giving her the time of her life.”

Kara frowned. She knew that Winn had eyed Siobhan last year, that they’d hooked up, and that they’d finally decided to start a relationship over the summer. Winn was happier than he’d ever been, and really seemed to like Siobhan. Kara didn’t really like Siobhan, but had kept her mouth shut because she didn’t want to hurt Winn.

“What the fuck? Why?” she responded.

“Apparently I wasn’t giving her “enough attention.””

“That’s bullshit and we all know it. All you do is give her attention.”

“She actually means that I’m not good enough in bed.”

“That’s an even more bullshit answer!”

“I KNOW!”

“Do you need me to come over?”

“Thanks Kara, but I’ll be okay. James will be right over and we’re planning on having boy’s night for the first time in ages.”

Kara’s head throbbed as she grew angrier and angrier at Siobhan. She gripped to her pillow shook it violently enough to tear the seams.

“Winn actually liked you, damn it! He deserved better than you and YOU couldn’t even fucking appreciate him for who he was!” she shouted. She grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be her favorite paperweight, and threw it at the wall.

“FUCK YOU SIOBHAN!”

The small turtle, thrown with Kara’s super strength, punched a hole through the wall. She didn’t know she was that angry, but she felt good about throwing something. No one hurt her friends. No one ever would again.

After a few seconds, however, Kara realized that she indeed had caused damage not only to her side of the wall, but her neighbor’s. Looking at the puncture, she saw a set of green eyes staring back at her.

“There’s a hole,” gasped Kara. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I did that. I’m so sorry, oh my god.”

“You’re my neighbor?” asked the voice.

“Well, yeah, I mean, I recognize your voice from last night, but I don’t see how that-”

The apartment door opened and Lena walked in, staring at the hole in the wall and at Kara.

“I’m so so sorry Lena, oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to punch a hole in the wall. I mean, I just threw a paperweight and it just happened to go through the wall and I didn’t realize how angry I was and I’m sorry I broke your wall,” she rambled.

Lena continued staring at the wall.

“So, you’ve been making those terrible jokes,” asked Lena.

“Yes,” replied Kara, reluctant to admit her unique sense of humor.

“You believed in Santa until you were here?”

“Okay, well, that’s not my fault, you see, there’s a whole-”

“It’s cute,” Lena said, shrugging it off. “So...you heard all my crying and such?”

“Well, yes...but I just wanted to help you.”

“Thank you, Kara. It meant a lot to me.”

Lena walked to the hole and surveyed it. She put her hand through and waggled her fingers.

“Well, truthfully, I kind of like it. At least now we can talk through the hole instead of relying on like super hearing,” joked Lena.

“Haha, yeah, super hearing,” chuckled Kara nervously. It wasn’t like she needed super hearing to hear the crying on the other side, but if Lena ever found out about her powers, it might cause some issues.

“Well, uh, I hope you’re okay. You seemed pretty angry there,” commented Lena.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just angry because my friend’s girlfriend just cheated on him and he deserved better anyways.”

“Oh. That’s awful.”

“I know. Hey, Lena?”

“Yeah?”

“I know that we can just talk through the hole, but you’re always welcome to come right into my apartment.”

“You’re such a sweetheart, Kara,” said Lena, smiling. She turned to leave when Kara blurted something out.

“Do you want to hang out here right now?” asked Kara.


	4. When Ice Begins to Melt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this! Please leave any comments if you want to see anything more, or have any feedback about my writing!

Kara could see Lena’s hand on the doorknob, ready to exit the premises. The girl hesitated at first, then let go of the knob to face Kara. An overwhelming joy flew throughout Kara’s body once she realized Lena was going to stay.

“Y-yeah, of course!” Lena said.

“I hope you’re not busy or anything. I mean, I did make a hole in your apartment, which probably distracted you, so I’m sorry about that, but if you need to go back to do anything, it’s totally fine, like you don’t need to like stay or anything if you don’t want to…” blubbered Kara, excited.

“No, no. The courses I’m taking are really easy. I was actually just watching some shows on Netflix.”

“Oh, okay. Hey, do you want to watch movies together? I can order in some pizza for us.”

“That would be great, Kara. I actually meant to get something for dinner.”

Kara beamed. Of course, she regretted punching a hole through Lena’s wall, but she was glad it was the catalyst for their friendship. Who knows how much longer it would’ve been until they realized that they lived next door to each other? After all, with all of Kara’s potsticker appointments, it would’ve been unlikely that they would’ve seen each other enter or leave their room. Now, Lena knew that it had been none other than Kara telling her all those stories. Now, Lena could just come over to Kara for comfort, instead of having to speak through the wall. For once, Kara thanked the architects for the thin walls.

“Just cheese or with pepperoni?” asked Kara.

“Just cheese, actually. I’m a vegetarian.”

“Alright, sounds good,” she said as she dialed in numbers. 

While Kara was making the call, she noticed Lena surveying the room. Lena moved around the living space a little, smiling at the huge oven and glancing at the huge flower painting. She seemed to spend a lot of time looking at the family photos, though. It was the one thing she stood in front of and actually touched. Most of the photos were just her and Alex, while some included Eliza and even Jeremiah. Kara saw that Lena looked a bit somber, biting her lip and crossing her arms, somewhat clenching her fingers. 

“What movies do you like?” asked Kara, once she was done with the call. Lena seemed startled, seemingly scared that Kara had caught her staring at the photos. Kara didn’t want to call too much attention to Lena’s family just yet, since it seemed like a sore subject. 

“Uh...I prefer historical or science fiction,” said Lena, loosening her grip and taking a seat on the couch.

“Know any good ones you have yet to watch?” Kara sat down next to Lena began flipping through Netflix, hoping to find something interesting. Her recently watched betrayed her, showing Lena that she absolutely adored rom coms and cooking shows. 

“Um, let’s watch Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. It’s actually a show, not a movie, but I heard it’s really good.”

“Let’s go for it!”

Kara fetched some comforters a few pillows from her closet and began to make popcorn. Lena sat back and had her eyes glued to the screen by the time Kara returned.

“Wow, you’re really into this,” remarked Kara, grabbing a handful of popcorn. “Want some?”

“Sure,” said Lena, not taking her eyes off while reaching for the popcorn. She accidentally grabbed Kara’s hand, however, and was quick to correct her position. “Oops, sorry.”

“Naw, that’s fine. I just wonder where the pizza is.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Kara sprang up to get the door. The warm smell of pizza filled the room, and Kara swore she could hear her stomach growling.

“This smells so good!” said Kara, taking a huge bite out of a slice. She brought the box over to the couch and set it on the table in front of them. She cursed herself for not buying two boxes, since she knew she was going to eat most of the slices in front of her.

They continued watching the show, letting minutes and then hours fly by. Kara noticed that she and Lena were sitting rather close to each other. It comforted her that Lena was able to be so close to her. A smile sprang to her face as she moved slightly closer.

Looking over at Lena, Kara took a mental photograph of what Lena looked like. She was stunning, really. Even in a hoodie and sweatpants, her gorgeous eyes and sweeping figure seemed to pop out, especially against the light of the tv. 

It was only when Kara’s alarm went off that they both realized they were sleeping on each other, with the tv still shining brightly.

“Shit!” they both yelled, scrambling out from the couch. Kara ran to get the alarm. 

“What time is it?!?” yelled Lena.

“It’s 7!”

“PM?”

“AM!”

“FUCK!”

“We have class in an hour!”

“For fuck’s sake! Kara, thanks so much for having me! Do you want to go to class together? Maybe then I can actually get there on time.”

“Sure! I’ll knock on your door when I’m leaving.”

Lena rushed out of the apartment, almost running into the door itself. Kara began to make some coffee, for both her and Lena. She rushed to the shower, hoping she could get the smell of pizza and popcorn off. There was another scent on her shirt - Lena. It was a comforting smell, a scent that made Kara imagine what home would smell like. Kara was sad to see her shirt go into the laundry basket. She cursed herself for taking a morning class, wishing she could’ve spent more time with Lena. Then again, she probably wouldn’t have met her, but who knows? Time worked in funny ways.

“Ughhhh, when did I fall asleep last night?” thought Kara. “We must’ve stayed up watching that show.”

It really wasn’t like Kara minded. She enjoyed spending time with Lena. It was interesting how ice cold Lena had been that morning, versus how much more open she seemed last night. All Kara could think about while she was getting ready was when she would spend more time with Lena. Whether it would be the two of them watching a movie, or out at Noonan’s, she didn’t care. All she wanted was to spend more time getting to know Lena.

Suddenly, Kara’s phone began to ring, startling her from a bit of a daydream. Checking who it was, she saw it was none other than her sister

“Hey, Alex.”

“Kara, hey! How’s it going?” said her sister, seemingly energetic.

“You seem to have had a good night.”

“No! Well, yes, but...ugh I hate you.”

“I suppose it helps not to have your little sister living in the room right next to yours.”

“Damn it, Kara. Anyways, you sound tired. How’s school going?”

“It’s going great! I made this really great friend, and I love spending time with her. She actually stayed over, after I accidentally punched a hole through her apartment wall. It wasn’t really my fault, though! Winn told me that Siobhan cheated on him and I got really angry and well, there was that paperweight right there, so what else could I do?”

“Wow...all I heard was that you made a hole in the wall. Maybe we should meet up later this week.”

“That sounds great!”

“Alright, Kara. You probably have class soon, so I’ll get off your back. Love you!”

“Love you too, sis. Bye!”

Kara took a deep breath and clutched her phone to her chest. It wasn’t like she was ashamed to have Lena as a friend and neighbor, but she was scared of what Alex would say about her being friends with a Luthor. Lena being a Luthor really didn’t affect the way Kara saw her, but it was likely that Alex knew more about the Luthors that made her dislike them. As much as Kara loved Alex, she didn’t like how Alex was so quick to judge. 

Growing up, Alex had always taken care of her. Kara, being from another planet, had much to learn about this one. It was Alex’s job to make sure Kara knew how to interact with people, how to act, and especially, how to protect herself. Lately, though, Alex had become increasingly overprotective, as if something could actually penetrate through Kara’s Kryptonian skin. No matter how often Kara reminded Alex that she was essentially invincible, Alex seemed convinced that Kara was in constant danger. 

Of course, it didn’t help that Jeremiah had been taken because of Kara’s one mistake of flying around with Alex when they were much younger…

Sighing, Kara walked out of her apartment and knocked on Lena’s door.

“You ready?” she asked as Lena opened the door.

“Yep. Let’s go.”

“Lena looks good,” thought Kara. 

And of course, she did. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her eyeliner and mascara really making her eyes pop out, and her dress really seemed to fit her well, showing off her body shape.

“Well, not that she doesn’t look good all the time…” 

“Hrm?” asked Lena, looking over at Kara. “Did you say something?”

“Oh! I just wanted to say that you look really nice today!”

“Oh, thank you, Kara. Quite a change from the messy hair and hoodie.”

“I mean, I didn’t mind it. We college kids are a mess.”

“We are. I just felt good today, you know?” said Lena, looking right at Kara and smiling. “It’s thanks to you. You did distract me, but from all these family issues that had really been weighing down on me.”

A warmth passed through Kara’s chest, like a raging fire full of love. Seeing Lena smile right at her, more genuinely than before, really sent such a homely feeling through Kara that she couldn’t help but grin widely back.

“I’m glad I could help. My door is open to you any time, whether you need potstickers or need to talk to me.”

After they reached the classroom on time, Professor Grant peered at Lena and Kara could swear she saw a small smile. She didn’t dare question her teacher, though, just in case the professor got angry at her. Lena and Kara wrote in each others’ notebooks all throughout class, making sure not to get caught when Professor Grant seemed to look over.

It felt good to have someone reciprocate the “sneaky” notes during class. All she had dreamed of in high school was to have a friend to pass notes to or to sneakily text, but no one had dared. She was always willing to take the risk, to show that her friends were worth taking risks for, but it turned out to be a one sided dream. The more she thought about it, the more grateful Kara felt to have Lena in her life.

 

* * *

 

Every time Kara encountered Professor Grant, she wasn’t sure what she was going to get. It had only been three days since they’d met, but Kara had been sure she would immediately understand her. It bothered her that she hadn’t quite cracked her professor’s code, that she hadn’t quite gotten the formula right. She didn’t know if Professor Grant would lecture her, or if she would give her life advice, or she would end up being an emotional guide, as she was for Lena. She really just seemed like metal on the outside, but Kara knew there was something very human and very soulful on the other side. It was merely the  _ what _ that was bothering her. 

“Kiera, I see you’re great friends with Lena,” said Professor Grant, as she walked in on Kara organizing more papers.

“Y-yes, Professor Grant,” said Kara, nervously pushing up her glasses.

“Good. She’ll be a good influence on you.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“She’s just a good person to have around,” she said, peering at Kara with a somewhat cold look.

Yet again, Kara Danvers found herself puzzled. She was pretty sure that Professor Grant was somewhat thanking her for bringing Lena back to what may have been normal, but she wondered if there was some other reason that her professor had said what she said. This was Cat Grant, queen of all media. She was the magician with words, the one who could twist a letter or two and annihilate anyone who dared step in her path. There just simply had to be something that was hidden behind her words.

Or maybe it was the exact opposite. Maybe Cat was literally saying exactly what she had to say. It was possible that her professor wanted to tell her that being friends with Lena was a good thing. 

“Kiera, if you’re trying to organize some papers, move to the right a little. You’re trying to pick up air on the table.”

Looking down, Kara saw that she indeed, was grappling at the table. She must’ve organized the entire stack while distracted by Cat Grant’s words. It was a good thing, too, since Kara possibly may have picked up the mahogany table altogether. It would be an absolute shame to ruin such a nice piece of furniture. She shifted over and began her job again.

“Something on your mind?” asked Professor Grant, her voice with a bit of a sarcastic demeanor.

“No, ma’am.”

“Oh, don’t you call me ma’am. Stick to Professor Grant or Ms. Grant. That will do just fine.”

“Y-yes, of course, Ms. Grant.”

Kara heard Professor Grant leave the room. Taking this as her cue, she speedily organized the stack, left a note for her teacher, and left for her first set of potstickers for the day.

 

* * *

 

It was Lena that sent the first text, about a week later. The two had routinely gone to class together, talking about their classes the day before on the way to their classes the day of. Kara mentally kicked herself for not reaching out first, but from the texts, it didn’t seem to matter much to Lena. 

“Hey,” said the text.

“Hey you,” Kara replied. “Sorry I didn’t text you earlier.”

“Nah, it’s fine. We’re neighbors anyways. I can just barge in.”

“Ye-”

As she was typing, her apartment door opened and in came Lena, holding her phone. Lena’s lips were pressed together, in what Kara thought as distress. Her arms were folded, her fingers clenched in the same way as when she was looking at the family photos.

“Can I talk to you? Like, just tell you anything?” Lena blurted.

“Y-yeah, of course! We’re friends, you can trust me!”

Lena took a seat on the couch they’d fallen asleep on. Sighing, she pulled her hair out from the ponytail and nervously shoved it back with her fingers.

“My mom’s just constantly disappointed in me. She doesn’t even care to hear the next thing I’ve done, or the next thing I’ve discovered. All she cares about is Lex, her true son. The only child she ever saw a true Luthor in. She looks at me and sees just this mild, mediocre child that can’t live up to the name! God! I didn’t even fucking ask to be adopted by them, you know? They took me in so that they would look like homely people, but they’re not! They’re awful!

“And my dad. He’s not ever there anymore. When I was younger, he was the one that would talk to me about business. When my mother chased me away, it was him that came to my room to teach me about the world. He taught me how to face the world. He taught me about people the way private school never did.

“Lex, I loved him. I loved Lex with all my heart, but all he did was prove just how terrible he was. He broke my heart when he broke those aliens. You must’ve heard about them. He personally created a weapon that would pierce through their hearts and shred them from the inside.

“And I’m just sick of it. Every day I come home to a million voicemails, asking if I knew about Lex’s evil plans, or if I could help my mother with something, her claiming she loves me.”

“Lena…” Kara started. “You’re not who your mother says you are.”

“Well, maybe I am. Maybe I am just a disappointment, a taint on the Luthor name.”

“Look, maybe Luthors are known for being evil, or terrible, or slippery. But you’re not like them. You have a heart. You didn’t look at me with the disgust your mother probably showed you. You...you make me happy, you know?”

“Doesn’t everything make you happy?” snapped Lena. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s...okay,” gulped Kara. “But not like you make me happy. And I mean, it doesn’t matter what your mother says about you. I want to take the time to know you and tell you that you matter to me. I would never tell you I’m disappointed in you.

“Jeremiah...my adopted dad...he told me once that it isn’t what Alex did that would define who I was, but me. It only mattered what I did with my life. Danvers wasn’t enough to label me because I was my own separate being.

“So Lena, it only makes sense that you’re a good person. A warm hearted person underneath anything your parents have forced you to create. You just have to let that outshine and melt the ice that has been fostered inside you for so long.

“And I’ll be here to help you with that.”

Lena rubbed her face for a while before she turned to Kara with a longing look. It stirred something inside of Kara, something that pushed her to sit closer to Lena and hug her tightly. 

“I’ll be here for you,” whispered Kara, pushing her face into Lena’s neck.

Lena’s body shuddered and Kara felt tears streaming down of Lena’s face and onto the back of Kara’s neck. 

“I’ll be here. It’s okay, Lena. It’s okay. Let it out. Let it out.”

All Lena would do was cry as Kara held on tightly to her, comforting her as the ice inside of Lena began to melt. 


	5. The Luthor Lecture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to edit the last scene a bit more! The next chapter is going to be in Lena's point of view, and since it was too awkward to split this chapter in two, I just gave you guys one large chapter!  
> I wanted to stick to my general "chapter a day" for the rest of my winter break, since I go back to school this Tuesday, so I apologize for anything that seemed rushed.  
> As always, thank you for reading my work! It means a lot to me!

Kara was surprised to wake up with empty arms. She knew they’d fallen asleep, Kara holding Lena while Lena let out some feelings, but she hadn’t heard Lena leave during the night. A bit ironic, really, since Kara did have super hearing. Yawning and stretching, Kara cracked her back as she made her way into the kitchen. It was when she closed the fridge door that she noticed Lena’s note. Smart of her, leaving a note somewhere where food would be.

“Thank you,” said the note. “It means a lot to me that you were there for me.”

“Oh, Lena,” she thought, gripping the note tightly to her chest. “Of course I would be there. I’m your friend.”

Since it was a weekend, Kara packed a few notebooks and pencils and headed to the library. Walking in, she looked around and saw the magnificent, full shelves that lined the building. A massive, grand chandelier hung from the top, lighting up the entire area as though she were living in a fairy tale. The scent old oak shelves and the yellowing pages of all the books filled Kara’s nose as she walked towards her friends, who were already studying at a table in the corner. There was James, Kara’s ex but also currently her friend, there was Winn, who was Kara’s best friend, and there was Alex, her sister. Alex was merely visiting, so she claimed, but Kara knew that Alex loved this library almost as much as she loved Maggie. For both the sisters, the library reminded them of home, where there had always been plenty of books to read and plenty of arms to run into for comfort.

“Hey Kara,” said James, giving the goofy smile Kara had always loved.

“Hey James.”

“How are classes?” asked Winn, who was currently looking at a blueprint of some obscure machine. 

“They’re going alright. Snapper’s...well, snapping at me constantly, Professor Grant’s tolerating me, and Professor Henshaw’s lessons about European Literature are really quite entertaining. My other courses are fine, but not quite as significant in my life.”

“Meet anyone...significant?” asked James.

“Yeah, actually! Do you know Lena?” said Kara, excitedly.

“Luthor? Of course. She’s absolutely brilliant at Mechanical Engineering,” commented Winn. “Like, I’ve never seen someone other than myself who just...knew so much.”

“You just wanted to brag about yourself,” teased Alex.

“Hey, hey! It’s true, isn’t it?” defended Winn. 

“Kara, can we talk?” asked Alex. 

“Ye-” began Kara, before she was rudely interrupted by a soft whisper coming from James. “What?”

“ _ Penis _ ,” whispered Winn, more audibly than James.

“Goddamn it, not this again,” groaned Alex. “You’re so immature.”

“ _ Penis _ ,” whispered Kara, a little more loudly.

“ _ Penis.” _

“Pe _ nis _ .”

“Penis.”

The game went on and on, but it seemed as though no one was willing to take a risk and go too far. They’d done this in years past and gotten kicked out of the library temporarily, but it had been quite thrilling for Kara to win.

“PENIS!” yelled another voice from behind the bookshelves.

Everyone snapped their heads to look. Kara, using her x-ray vision, saw Lena’s figure, hiding behind a very conveniently placed shelf. Turning off her vision, she could see Lena’s green eyes peeping out from between the books. Smiling, she turned back to her group.

“Shush!” scolded the librarian. “You kids with your immature games! Play them outside!”

Alex gave her a look that meant to say she was sorry for everyone there. James and Winn, however, were still focused on trying to figure out who the mystery winner was.

“Damn, I lost,” said Winn, slumping over his blueprint again.

“We all lost, damn it,” declared James.

“Let’s try again next weekend. Whoever wins gets to get a free drink, courtesy of all the losers,” suggested Kara.

“Now you’re talking,” said Winn, rubbing his hands together. “I’ll be ready.”

Kara stood up and started making her way towards the bookshelf Lena was standing behind. She tried her best to look sneaky, as though she were merely looking for a book that happened to be where her friend was.

“Congrats! You won!” whispered Kara, hugging Lena tightly. “You ended that awful stalemate.”

“Whaaaat? What did I win?” asked Lena, smirking a little.

“You won the penis game!” said Kara, a little too loudly, causing Lena to shove a hand over Kara’s mouth. “And my heart.”

Kara swore she saw a faint red coming to Lena’s cheeks before she went back to her other friends. As soon as she got there, Alex motioned for her to meet her at another spot in the library.

“Lena Luthor? That’s who you’re friends with? Is this the person whose wall you broke? A Luthor, of all people. Really, Kara?” bombarded Alex.

“Geez, Alex. What’s up with you?”

“You’re friends with a  _ Luthor _ .” The word Luthor slid off of Alex’s tongue like a curse, sending a shiver down Kara’s spine. Kara hoped that Lena wasn’t in earshot of this.

“Lena’s not like the rest of them, Alex. I don’t understand why you’re discriminating against a whole family like that. Sure, Lex might be evil, her mother might not be the best person, but you don’t know Lena. You don’t-”

“I know what  _ Luthors _ are like.”

“You don’t KNOW anything, Alex. Tell me, how do you know more than I do? Tell me, then, what is it you even know about Lena.”

“The Luthors are evil. They can hurt you, Kara,” said Alex, gripping onto Kara’s shoulders.

“I’m invincible,” scoffed Kara. “You didn’t answer my question, Alex. I asked if you knew anything about Lena.”

“The Luthors-”

“Don’t talk to me about the Luthors. Lena’s my friend and she’s only proven that over and over again.”

Alex sighed. “I’m sorry, Kara.”

“Good,” muttered Kara. 

“Please, just be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I hear your phone ringing, Alex. It’s probably Maggie,” said Kara, walking back to the table with Alex.

Kara hated when Alex tried to lecture Kara about people. Yes, it was true that Kara did come from another planet. Yes, it was true that Alex was less awkward. But Alex was always quick to judge. Of course, it had kept her safe, but Kara couldn’t imagine her life without Lena in it now. She couldn’t imagine the tiny embers that flickered through her chest when she spent time with Lena replaced by anything. She couldn’t imagine replacing the homely smell that Lena gave off, which never failed to comfort her. Kara had always been the riskier one, willing to really let people in. There had only been a few accounts in which Kara had gotten unlucky and hurt because of the trust she had given, but she knew there was a fine line between paranoid and careful.

 

* * *

 

Even without her super hearing, Kara could definitely hear the loud music and feel the deep bass beneath her feet. She continued walking towards the source of the music, unsure of what to expect at this college party. She hadn’t made a habit of going to them in her previous years, despite Alex’s wishes for her to join her. It wasn’t getting drunk that scared Kara; Kara, as a Kryptonian, couldn’t actually get drunk with Earth drinks. What really scared her was that all around her, there would be people making terrible decision because they were drunk, and she wouldn’t be able to control herself if someone were to start a fight. She didn’t know her strength, but she definitely knew that if she saw Alex getting hurt, the offender wouldn’t escape Kara alive.

She wasn’t actually sure why she’d come to this party. Something mysterious had drawn her. Alex wasn’t in college anymore to ask Kara to come, but something called out to Kara. She just felt that she had to be here.

All made sense when she glanced over and saw Lena taking a bunch of shots with frat boys - specifically, Mike.

 

_ “Hey, Kara, bet you can’t reach this!” teased a young Mike, dangling Kara’s glasses above her head. Kara’s eyes weren’t focusing properly, the lead lined frames no longer there to block the x ray vision. Glimpses of Mike’s bones filled her brain, a skeleton stooping over her. _

_ Kara knew she could just float up and get the glasses if she wanted, but she knew that it would be dangerous if she did. Jeremiah had already been taken from them because Kara had flown once. She felt guilty enough that her alien presence cursed them more than it helped.  _

_ “Dumbo! Put those down! You’re nothing but a jackass!” yelled Alex, rushing at Mike. _

_ Alex was tall, but not quite so tall as Mike. She jabbed him in the stomach, making him wince but not drop the glasses. Kara saw, with her x ray vision, that his right knee was already weak, so she kicked him there. But she had timed her attack incorrectly. Mike had moved at the last second, and Kara ended up kicking Mike in the balls. Mike instantly crumpled to the ground, but not before dropping the glasses. Kara yelped and reached for her glasses, but the frames snapped, the glass shattering and leaving a mess on the streets. _

_ Mike ran away, clutching his balls and crying, but Kara was too focused on her broken glasses to worry about Mike’s feelings. _

_ “He deserved it,” said Alex, crouching by Kara. As soon as she saw Kara’s glasses, she hugged her. “It’s okay, we can fix it.” _

_ “I’m sorry,” said Kara, beginning to cry. “All I do is cause problems for this house. I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to ruin your life. I’m sorry.” _

_ “It’s okay, Kara,” said Alex, holding onto Kara as her tears ran down Alex’s shirt. “I love you. You’re my sister, remember?” _

 

Kara’s insides bubbled once she saw Mike. She knew he was attending this school, but she’d hoped to never deal with him. Breaking her glasses wasn’t the only time he’d terrorized her. Now that she saw how he was just a selfish, arrogant, entitled frat boy, she was glad that Alex had beaten him up for her sake multiple times. But it wasn’t only his past bullying streak that bothered her. What bothered her now was a different feeling; seeing Lena around Mike made Kara flare up.

“You’re so grosssss,” said Lena, stumbling over into Mike. Mike held her by the waist, something that Kara wished she didn’t have to see.

“I know you still want me,” he said. This made both Lena and Kara squirm. Kara stormed up to Mike and tried to pry Lena off of him. 

“Let her go,” she hissed, giving him a look that she’d never given anyone before.

“As if you could, weak Kara Danvers,” he chuckled. “Too bad your sister isn’t here to save you again.”

If Kara had been defending herself, she wouldn’t have attacked. She wouldn’t really have done anything but walk away from the situation, but this was Lena, her friend, that she was trying to protect from this gross boy. She lunged to grab Lena away from him, and when his clammy hand gripped Kara’s arm, Kara grabbed onto his arm and twisted it, kicking the back of his right knee and making him crumple. He let go of Lena and whimpered, and by the time he turned around to see where Kara was, she had vanished with Lena.

 

* * *

 

It had been weeks since Lena had actually been over at Kara’s apartment. They’d kept in contact by meeting after school hours, but they hadn’t stayed inside very often. Kara checked the biscuits in her oven before sitting next to Lena with an empty bucket, who had yet to wake up. Returning to the kitchen, Kara set some water to boil for some tea. She heard Lena stirring, and immediately ran over to her, bucket in one hand and the other hand on Lena’s back.

“Hey,” said Kara, smiling.

“You’re so loud, Kara,” said Lena, rubbing her temple. “God, why is it so fucking bright?”

Kara immediately pulled the blinds and made a mental note to whisper. A loud puking noise came from the couch, followed by a groan. 

“Hey, hey, I’m here,” said Kara, rubbing Lena’s back. 

“That feels good,” said Lena, slumping over the bucket again before retching.

“Wow, you’re really not doing well, are you?” Kara tried to laugh, but she could only make out a weak chuckle. Lena held up a finger before throwing up for the third time.

“Jesus Christ, how drunk was I? Did I kiss anyone?”

“No, but you were hanging around Mike.”

“How do you know Mike?” asked Lena, raising an eyebrow. “He’s a frat boy. I didn’t expect you to even go to last night’s party.”

“He, um...childhood,” said Kara, looking down a little. 

“Oh. He’s...my ex.”

“He...you...what?” A gross feeling overcame Kara.

“Yeah...he seemed nice at first, but we broke up after a week because he kept trying to kiss me and get in my pants.”

“That’s...not fun.”

“Yeah, really. I’m glad I cut it off, but he’s just a fun guy to hang around at parties, you know? The life of the party.”

“I didn’t know you were into parties.”

“I didn’t either. I don’t go to that many, though. Yesterday just seemed like a good day to expel some feelings.”

Kara’s heart sank a little. She hadn’t noticed that Lena was at all stressed, or that anything had been on her mind. She’d hoped that she was a good enough friend that Lena would be able to talk to her.

“Hey, don’t give me that look. It’s just something stupid,” said Lena, grabbing Kara’s hand, before squeezing it half to death while she puked again.

“What is it?” asked Kara. She was curious. What was it that Lena had to drink about, but was so stupid?

“It’ll be fine, no worries, Kara. I’d talk to you if it were something truly serious.”

Kara took the bucket from Lena before handing her another one. She quickly cleaned it, while Lena sat back on her couch, and made sure to check her biscuits. They were ready this time, so Kara took them out.

“Woah, did you just take those out with your bare hands?” asked Lena, stupefied by this stunt.

“No, no, I’m using my sleeve,” stammered Kara, kicking herself for being so careless. She quickly turned up the heat on the water and waited for it to boil, then prepared a small platter with biscuits and tea. Making her way to Lena, she shoved a hot biscuit into her mouth.

“Here, have some,” she tried to speak, her mouth full of biscuit.

“Thanks.”

Unlike Kara, Lena took one and took small, careful bites while rubbing her head. She took a sip of the chamomile tea.

“D-do you want to stay here for the rest of the day?” offered Kara.

“That would be nice.”

“I have an idea.” Kara quickly made her way to her bedroom, pulling out an old acoustic guitar. It was a beauty, with shining strings and intricately polished. 

“You play guitar?”

“I guess...I just kind of pick it up and play chords, you know?”

“Can you sing, Kara?”

“I-i suppose s-so.” Kara blushed a little, scared of what Lena might think about her voice. 

Kara tuned the strings, testing a few chords before singing the first song that came to her mind: Champs Elysée. Although French was a bit rusty for Kara, her Kryptonian tongue helped her with the pronunciations. Once she was done, Lena only stared back at her.

“So?” asked Kara, nervous about what Lena would think.

“That was beautiful,” Lena mumbled. “I haven’t heard French in years. It’s actually one of my favorite songs, you know?”

“Do you have any other songs you like?” Kara’s confidence grew. She didn’t know Lena knew French, but she wasn’t quite surprised.

“It’s really cheesy, but Always? By Panic! at the Disco, you know?”

Kara knew the song. She remembered her high school days, singing the song while imagining her significant other. She’d been really into Panic, but she’d developed new tastes. She plucked the notes expertly, the words flowing off her tongue the way a paintbrush might stroke the canvas. When she struck the last note, she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach, a smile rising to her lips and eyes. 

“I love your voice,” said Lena. “You should sing more often.”

“Maybe I should.”

“There’s, um, a coffeehouse where you can actually sign up for open mic performances. I would come with you.”

“Really? That would be really fun!”

Kara looked at Lena, who had a glimmer in the corner of her eye. But there was something written in Lena’s face that Kara couldn’t quite read, despite Lena’s not-so-sneaky glance at Kara’s lips.

 

* * *

 

Kara woke up at the sound of a loud ping from her phone. Looking through the hole in the wall, she checked to see if Lena was awake. Seeing as the light was on, Kara stormed into Lena’s room.

“Lena! There’s this movie and it’s historical fiction rom com and I was wondering if you wanted to come see it like tomorrow night because that’s the premiere and I’ve been waiting so long for this to come out because I watched the trailer and absolutely fell in love with it and I really want to go see it so pleeeeaaaaassseeee come with meeeeee,” begged Kara, getting overexcited.

“Woah there, Kara,” Lena said, rubbing her eyes. “Of course I’ll go. I’m a step ahead of you, though.” Opening a drawer, she pulled out two tickets to the movie premiere.

“I figured you would want to go, so I called in a bit of a favor to get these in advance,” said Lena, grinning at Kara.

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much, I love you oh my gosh oh my gosh oh. My. Gosh. I’m so so so so so excited, Lena!” blubbered Kara. She swung her arms around Lena, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you so so so much!”

 

* * *

 

When the two got to the theatre, they found that the line was actually wrapping around the corner. Kara, once again, felt grateful that Lena had gotten the tickets in advance. Kara wrapped her fingers in Lena’s, squeezing them in pure joy. Once they were inside the room, Kara led the way to find two decent seats. She was thrilled to find the entire back row empty. 

“I love the back row. You see not only the movie, but everyone else. You can see how everyone reacts. You can see what’s going on with everyone, with whoever they’re with, and how they like the movie,” said Kara. 

“I’ve never thought of that,” said Lena, following suit.

The movie progressed, and Kara found herself noticing the little bits of history that she hadn’t learned in history before. 

“This is actually really good,” whispered Lena. “Usually they mess up all the costumes, but this is spot on.”

Kara felt herself getting drowsier and drowsier by the minute, closing her eyes until she could no longer hear the dialogue. It was truly no surprise, seeing as all Kara had pulled an all nighter looking up more about the movie. Quite ironic that she spent more time reading about the movie than actually watching it. Lena, however, didn’t mind Kara’s head resting on her shoulder, and wrapped an arm around her to bring them closer together.


	6. Welcome aBOARD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in Lena's POV! It's part 1 of the ski lodge, where things get somewhat interesting. Also, I apologize in advance if I don't have a chapter out tomorrow!

Lena sat back in her bus seat next to Kara and looked outside the window. Soft snowflakes floated down, painting the city a whole new atmosphere. A grey city was turning into an ice palace in front of her very eyes. Although it snowed every year, the first snowfall of the city never failed to amaze her. But instead of being right in the center of this ice palace, it was shrinking as the bus took her and the other nineteen kids to the ski lodge tens of miles outside of the city. 

“Woahhh, it’s so pretty!” gushed Kara, leaning over Lena to get to the window in order to get a good look of the snow. Apparently, Lena was not the only one who got overexcited about snowfall. 

“It really is. Winter’s my favorite time of year, you know?” said Lena, turning to look at Kara, who was still leaning over her. Kara’s soft blue eyes glittered beneath her glasses. They really were quite alluring to Lena. “I really enjoy bundling up in a bunch of blankets and drinking hot cocoa while watching shitty Christmas movies.”

Kara gasped. “Me too! We should bundle up together when we’re home. Alex and I used to do this every winter, but she would always be texting Maggie...anyways!”

“That would be really nice,” said Lena, a warm feeling encasing her, melting her insides a little.

It was interesting how Kara was able to make Lena warm up to her so easily. Of course, it helped that Kara didn’t care that she was a Luthor. But Lena had always been taught that she shouldn’t express emotions, that she shouldn’t let others in, and especially that she should keep that hard exterior and pokerface. This senior year, though, Lena had fallen apart, thanks to the whole Lex situation. It just felt so easy to be around Kara. 

“Speaking of movies, I did bring my iPad. Do you want to watch movies while we’re on the road?” offered Lena, opening her backpack and pulling out the tablet, to which Kara squealed in delight. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Lena punched in her passcode and swiped over for a list of movies that were available to her.

“I have Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone…”

“Let’s watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It’s my favorite and it’s so cute and gah I watch it every year and it never gets old! Unless you prefer something else, which, in that case, we can totally watch what you want to watch…” Kara trailed off.

Lena chuckled at Kara’s rambling. “Let’s watch the Grinch steal Christmas once again. It’s actually a shame I haven’t watched it.”

“You haven’t?” Kara gasped. “Oh my gosh, you are missing out on so much right now. Start the movie!”

Lena and Kara sat back after Lena perched her tablet on the seat-back table in front of them. Kara pulled out a huge blanket from her backpack and spread it over the two, tugging an edge, not unlike a child. Lena couldn’t help but smile at this. Kara was absolutely too pure for this world.

Of course, the Grinch “stole” Christmas, and Kara started waggling a finger at him and gritted her teeth, but once he returned what he had stolen, Kara joyously started clapping and hugging Lena.

“He returned Christmas!” yelled Kara.

“He sure did.”

“Oh, the story never gets old. I love how it defines Christmas as a spiritual thing as opposed to a material thing. I mean, personally, I love giving gifts to people and spoiling them as a gesture of how much I care about them, but Christmas is just such a wonderful time!” 

Lena wasn’t quite sure how to react. Sure, it was an adorable movie, but truthfully, Christmas wasn’t a fun time for her. In fact, for many of the past years, she’d spent it alone in her apartment, getting drunk in order to forget about the others who had people with them. She loved winter and old movies, but couldn’t stand Christmas, so of course, she sympathized with the Grinch. Seeing Kara so happy about it brought a bubbly feeling inside of Lena, but jealousy also lined her stomach, brewing up a concoction Lena didn’t know how to handle.

“It’s cute,” said Lena, taking a sip from her thermos.

“Hey! Why don’t you come over for Christmas this year?” suggested Kara, poking Lena in the shoulder aggressively. “It would be really fun, and we could decorate the tree together and everything!”

The idea actually didn’t sound terrible to Lena. It excited her to spend time with Kara but scared her. Didn’t Kara have other people to spend Christmas with? She didn’t want to replace all those people, when she was essentially a human Grinch. She didn’t want to steal Christmas away from Kara, who absolutely loved the holiday.

“That would be nice,” said Lena, forcing a smile.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” asked Kara, noticing the edge of the smile that usually wasn’t there. “Do you not want to come over? It’s totally fine if you don’t want to, you know. You have no obligation or anything, I just thought it could be really-”

“No, no, it’s not you. I’ve just had bad experiences with Christmas in the past. I don’t want to...ruin your Christmas.” Lena didn’t have the heart to tell Kara that she’d spent Christmas alone for so long.

“I want you to meet my friends for real,” said Kara, sucking in her cheeks. “And maybe we can make this Christmas a good one, then.”

“I would love to come, then.” A true smile sprung to Lena’s lips, making Kara excited again. 

Lena looked at Kara for a moment and watched her take out a box a potstickers from her bag. Chuckling, she looked outside the window to see how close they were to the ski lodge. When she looked back at Kara, she was really digging into those potstickers.

“Want thome?” asked Kara through a mouth full of potsticker.

“Sure,” Lena took a pair of wooden chopsticks from Kara and bit into it. “How is it still warm?”

Kara reddened a little. “Uhhhh, I insulated it really well, and bought it just before we got on the bus.” She then popped another potsticker into her mouth.

“Interesting,” said Lena, raising an eyebrow. Kara probably kept some sort of microwave with her at all times for food. It was interesting how much Kara could eat and still maintain her form. 

“I work out a lot,” said Kara, as though she read Lena’s mind. “Oh, I figured you noticed how much I constantly eat. Also, gotta love the fast metabolism encoded in my genes.”

“I envy you,” said Lena grabbing another potsticker.

Once they got to the lodge, Kara and Lena dropped their backpacks in their room. Kara had begged Lena to go on the trip, and Lena could do nothing but smile and sign up with Kara, and of course Kara had also gone ahead and requested she and Lena share a room. It was an old lodge, with some stains on the walls and a beat up door, but seeing as the heating and lighting worked fine, Lena found nothing to complain about.

“We are sharing a bed, but I hope you don’t mind,” said Kara.

Sure enough, when Lena looked around the room, there was only one queen bed. 

“Probably cut costs of building the place.”

“Probably,” Kara agreed.

“And, I don’t mind.”

The thought actually appealed to Lena. She didn’t understand why, but she constantly found herself gravitating towards the other girl. Of course, according to physics, everything was attracted to everything, but this was unusual, even though Kara’s potsticker habit probably had some effect.

“Let’s go find the other kids. I think we’re going to go skiing today, and I’m so ready,” said Kara, rubbing her hands together.

Seeing their equipment in the lounge area of the lodge building, Kara immediately zoomed over to her bag. Lena was walking when suddenly, Mike ran into her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Lena, rubbing her head.

“That’s quite alright,” said Mike, staring at her before walking off to meet the rest of his friends. 

Lena picked up her snowboarding gear and put on her helmet, not noticing a seething Kara with her bright pink helmet. She tapped on Kara’s shoulder. 

“Let’s go,” said Lena. Once she saw that Kara was squinting at Mike angrily, she laughed. “Oh, Mike? It’s fine. Whatever was between us is gone.”

“Hmm...I still don’t like him,” said Kara, rubbing her chin. She turned to Lena. “Let’s go, then.”

On the way up the hill, Lena gripped the railing in front of her with all her strength. She had always hated heights, and especially hated having her legs just dangle in the air. Kara seemed to love it.

“Is everything alright?” asked Kara, snapping Lena out of any sadistic thoughts.

“Yeah, um, I’m afraid of heights. I hate feeling like I’m flying. Statistically, it’s one of the safest ways to travel, of course, but it doesn’t dampen my fear of heights.”

“You’ll be okay,” said Kara, placing a hand on Lena’s. “Hey, and, um...if you need anyone to protect you from Mike, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks,” said Lena, ignoring the little rush of joy Kara gave her. “It’s all good though.”

As soon as they got to the top, Kara slid down the mountain with ease, prompting Lena to follow suit. Feeling the rush of wind and the lack of friction beneath her feet, Lena couldn’t help but attempt a few stunts on her snowboard. She’d tried some before, and failed, but no matter how often she’d fallen, the rush snowboarding gave her always made her try for more. This time, she slid towards a slightly elevated surface and jumped, rotating in the air. It was the only type of “flying” she could tolerate, because she was in control of the situation.

“That jump was cool!” said Kara, greeting Lena at the bottom of the hill. 

“Let’s go for another round,” suggested Lena, rushing towards the lift.

This time, it was Lena that rushed down the hill. She took a different path than before, looking for any imperfections in the snow that would give her air. This time, she attempted to grab her board with two hands while in the air, a stunt that she’d only been able to conduct successfully once. For a moment, Lena thought she was going to crash into the ground, but at the last second, time seemed to freeze for her and she adjusted her body accordingly. 

She felt invincible. Not waiting for Kara this time, she quickly returned to the top of the hill and tried to actually flip in the air. Lena figured that it was a good time as any to try something new. Unfortunately, Lena’s body twisted in a way that slammed her to the ground, a pain shooting up her legs. She cursed herself for believing she was invincible, spitting out the dirty snow that had gotten into her mouth. She saw a bright pink blur skid to a stop in front of her and extended a hand towards it. 

“Are you okay?” asked Kara, picking Lena up.

“My body hurts,” groaned Lena. 

“Let’s go back, Lena. I think it’s time for dinner, anyways. I heard they have pizza!”

Lena felt Kara swing her over her shoulder. 

“How the hell are you so strong?” asked Lena.

“I work out, remember? Those gym hours are really paying off, huh?” chucked Kara.

Once they got to the lodge, Kara placed Lena gently in a couch and pulled off their helmets and goggles, the fireplace doing a little to help. Lena leaned back, sighing and pressing the points on her body that hurt the most, wincing at each one. 

“Hey, I got you,” said Kara, gently massaging a point. Instantly, Lena felt better.

“Why’d you stop?” complained Lena.

“Well, you were kind of...making sounds...and uh...people were staring...and uh…” Kara began to blush.

“Oh…” It was now Lena’s turn to blush. Of course she was, but was it really her fault?

“Let’s get some pizza!” Kara ran out the door and to the main lodge, where the cafeteria was. 


	7. Drunken with Love

By the time Lena had caught up to Kara in the cafeteria, Kara had devoured two slices of pizza and had acquired a huge mug of coffee. She was about to walk over to Kara when she noticed that Kara already had company; Kara was having what seemed to be an entertaining conversation with James. Lena felt something fire up inside of her when she saw the two hugging and smiling and such. She didn’t understand what it meant. She had nothing against James as a friend, but something about knowing that he and Kara were still close and that they had gone out in previous years bugged her. Lena wanted Kara to be happy, and to find someone, yet every time she did see Kara with anyone she had a chance with, it upset Lena. Such feelings drove Lena to seek out Mike. She figured that since he was a fun person, it couldn’t really hurt to hang around him.

“Hey, Mike,” said Lena, giving somewhat of a genuine grin.

“Oh, hey, Lena,” replied Mike, a bit of a puzzled expression on his face. “Aren’t you going to go with your bodyguard?”

“Oh, Kara? Nah, she’s busy with someone else. So, what’s new?”

“My god, you have no idea. There is so much that has happened since we last talked. First off, I’ll actually be graduating this year! I’m pretty excited, since I didn’t actually expect college to last only six years. Best six years, though!”

“That’s great! You think you’re going to miss being here?”

Mike peered around at the students milling about. “A little. I’ll miss Max, and Winn, of course.”

“Gonna miss the parties?”

“I feel like the parties are going to miss me more than I’ll miss them. After all, I’m not Magic Mike for no reason.”

“Ah, fun times. Anything else new?”

“Nah, nothing new. What about you? Find someone to get laid with?”

“No, not really,” said Lena.

“Oh, well, neither have I, you know.”

“That’s great.”

“Not really, Lena.”

“It’s called sarcasm, buddy.”

“Right.”

Suddenly, Lena was yanked away by Kara. She was surprised by how strong the girl was, forgetting for a moment that she was basically dragging her outside.

“Hey! That’s rude!” yelled Lena.

“Well, he was being creepy!”

“How so? How come you can talk to your ex and I can’t?”

“Because James is a friend. Mike is clearly just wanting to have sex.”

“No, Mike is just a friend who is horny all the time. Trust me, he always talks about it like that. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes it is!” Kara’s face was turning red with anger. “You can’t just think that it’s normal for him to imply that he wants to have sex with you all the time!”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s really not!”

“Leave me alone, Kara. Let me live my life, and you can live yours. Just go kiss James or something.”

With this, Lena stomped past Kara and back to Mike, looking back at Kara once. She looked upset, but Lena was too angry for that. Why was it that Kara was allowed to be affectionate with James, while she couldn’t even have a conversation with Mike. Besides, how the heck did Kara hear the conversation? Was Mike that loud?

“So, I see your bodyguard came for you,” said Mike. “Do you want some tequila?”

“Sure, I could use some right now,” sighed Lena, taking a glass from Mike. After downing it, she returned it to him. “Give me more.”

“Easy there, tiger. Something’s up with you,”

“Since when do you care, Mike? Just give me more,” demanded Lena.

“Alright, alright. Here, take it. You know what, just take the bottle. It’s almost empty, anyways.”

Lena took the bottle from him happily. She lifted it to her lips and felt the strong alcohol go down her throat, feeling the soft burn as her muscles relaxed a little. When she looked back at Mike, she couldn’t help but feel a little dizzy.

“Woah...how did you do that?” asked Lena, wobbling around a little.

“Do what?” Mike, or, well, the two Mikes that Lena was seeing looked genuinely confused.

“You cloned yourself,” giggled Lena, clinging to one of the Mikes. “See? I caught both Mikes!”

“I sure did,” smirked Mike, holding onto Lena’s waist with one arm as she hung around his neck with her arms.

“Do you know any more magic?”

“If you come to my room, I can show you some.”

“Woah, really?”

“I’ll show you what’s so Magic about Mike.”

“That sounds fun,” giggled Lena.

Once again, Lena found herself being pulled away from Mike. This time, she tried to swing a fist at her lift, but she missed by a big shot. When she was put down on the ground again, Lena turned around to face who had pulled her away this time. 

“Both you and Kara! What is it with you two? Do you guys just not want me to have some funnnn?” asked Lena, placing her hands on Alex’s shoulders to steady herself.

“No. No. You are so drunk, Lena Luthor,” said Alex, reprimanding Lena.

“No, I’m not. I only had a bottle.”

“Of tequila.”

Lena giggled. “It’s not a big deal, you know? It makes me feel really good inside.”

“You shouldn’t be making dumb decisions right now.”

“I’m not! Mike just wanted to show me some magic tricks!”

“He wanted to have sex with you.”

“No, he wanted to show me magic!”

“Goddamn it, you! You do not go around hanging around boys who care about nothing but getting in your pants! And you especially do not go around telling my sister to just leave her alone!” yelled Alex, shoving a finger into Lena’s chest. “You don’t get to go around breaking Kara’s heart!”

“She broke mine, though,” said Lena, pouting a little. “I’m just giving her a taste of her own medicine.”

“Not like you hurt her. Now, I’m going to take you back to your room. Kara’s waiting for you.”

“Not Kara!” whined Lena.

“Yes Kara.”

Lena found it rather difficult to disobey Alex, especially when she was giving her a death stare. She felt uneasy just looking at Alex, that she tried to cover her eyes with her hands. Of course, Alex gave her an even more deathly look, staring at Lena. Lena ducked into her coat, pretending to not be there, but Alex didn’t fall for it.Finally, after Lena got out from under her coat, she let Alex guide her to her room. 

The walk there was cold and windy. Lena constantly felt like she was going to fall over, and Alex often had to steady Lena with her own body. She muttered that she was going to fly away in the cold wind, to which Alex promised that she wouldn’t let her. Entering the lodge building and climbing up stairs was yet another challenge. Taking one step at a time, Lena slowly made her way up the stairs, feeling Alex press her arm against her back. Once she arrived in the room, Alex somewhat pushed her into it and shut the door so that Lena couldn’t immediately escape. Lena looked in front of her and saw Kara sitting on the bed, looking right at her.

“Hey,” whispered Kara, walking over to Lena, who was now sitting on the floor. Kara put two warm hands to Lena’s face. “You okay?”  
“I’m fineeeee,” whispered Lena, giggling a little.

“No, you’re not. Here, let me take your coat and get you in bed. You need to rest up.” Kara pulled her hands away from Lena’s face and took off Lena’s coat, hanging it up in the closet.

“No, I don’t! I feel just right!” assured Lena, while she fell onto the floor facefirst.

“Okay, totally, Floor-Face.”

“Heyyyyyy, that’s not very nice!”

“You’re getting to bed. You can change tomorrow, or something, but clearly you’re not in a state to clothe yourself properly.” Lena felt herself being lifted effortlessly by Kara onto the bed. Kara climbed in next to Lena. They stared at each other for a while. 

“You know, James and I are just friends,” began Kara.

“Yeah, very close friends. Veerrryyyy close friends.”

“No, we promised each other we would always just be friends. I used to have feelings for him, but I realized when we tried to date that it just wasn’t what I wanted.” Kara grabbed Lena’s hands and rubbed them slowly.

“You’re very pretty,” whispered Lena, poking Kara on the nose.

“You’re very pretty too,” said Kara, smiling a little.

Lena leaned forward until their noses were touching. She didn’t know what was really happening to her, but something pushed her a little bit further, until their lips touched. A spark seemed to ignite Lena, starting a fire inside of her, but Kara pulled away, tears lining her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lena, pouting. 

“You’re drunk,” answered Kara, softly stroking Lena’s hair.

Lena felt a wave of drowsiness begin to take her, the last few images she saw of Kara, looking at her protectively. When she woke the next morning, light flooded her eyes and a wave of pain struck her on the head. She tried to recall the events of the past night, but found herself unable to remember anything but Mike giving her a bottle of tequila.

“Oh God!” yelped Lena, wincing at her own loud voice.

“What?” asked Kara, immediately getting up. “What’s wrong?”

“Did I have sex with Mike?” panicked Lena, staring at Kara in fear.

“No, you didn’t.” A wave of relief swept over Lena.

“What happened last night?”

“You were drunk, and so Alex brought you back here, where you immediately fell asleep,” Kara said apathetically.

“Did I do anything stupid? God, I hate what happens when I drink. I ought to stop, really.”

“No, nothing. You just fell asleep.”

“Tell Alex I said thanks,” requested Lena.

“Tell her yourself,” said Kara, as the door opened and Alex came through.

“Thanks Alex!” yelled Lena, wincing again and rubbing her head. “God, I hate alcohol.”

“Me too,” said Alex, smiling and coming over. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I really appreciate you bringing me back,” whispered Lena. “I bet Mike was trying to get in my pants again.”

“Yes,” said both Danvers. 

“Kara, um, I’m sorry I got mad at you before I got drunk. I don’t know why I just got so angry at you for being friends with James.” Alex’s eyes widened and she took the cue to leave the room. Lena pointed at the doorway. “Where’d she go?”

“Probably to her girlfriend’s room. Maybe she realized something? Alex occasionally does that. She’ll have a question, and it’ll come up months later when she realizes she finally knows the answer.” Lena noticed that Kara was somewhat more free again.

“Hey, Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” smiled Kara, hugging Lena. “Just stop getting jealous of my friends. You know, you’re like my best friend now.”

Lena couldn’t help but have a smile rise to her lips. “You’re my only but best friend I’ve ever had.”

“Oh, Lena.”

“I’m glad it’s-” Lena found herself bending over the side of the bed and threw up into the conveniently placed trash can. 

“I put that there, if you were wondering,” said Lena, pushing her glasses up her nose. “I figured you were going to throw up.”

“Doesn’t this feel familiar,” Lena muttered, throwing up again. 

Lena hated that she relied so much on alcohol to deal with her emotions. It was a bad habit, and now that Kara was in her life, she felt like she could just talk to Kara for most things, but what was she to do if she wanted to talk about Kara herself? She couldn’t just reveal how she was feeling. She couldn’t just say “Hey, I’m jealous not for his friendship but because he used to be with you.” She couldn’t risk that with Kara. But all of these thoughts faded away once she felt Kara’s warm hands rubbing her back with care. 

Lena didn’t understand much about what she’d been feeling lately, but she knew for sure that she was glad to have Kara in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, they had their first kiss! It was drunk, unfortunately for Kara, but I promise you things will get better.


	8. Play on Cue

Kara wasn’t really quite sure how she felt about last night. Lena had definitely overreacted to her and James being affectionate, but it made Kara question things. It wasn’t something to be jealous of, especially since Kara and James had always interacted very closely, but clearly platonically. At least, that’s what Kara believed. Although Kara had once wanted to be with James, and vice versa, Kara felt that it hadn’t been what she wanted. She had pined for him when he was dating Lucy Lane, yet after they started going on dates, something didn’t quite click with Kara. Kara had found no reason for Lena to be so upset at her, until Lena had kissed her last night. In that moment, everything had made sense.

It made sense that Lena went to spend time with Mike. She was trying to make Kara jealous and see what she would do. It may not have been her first reason why, but Kara, having been a jealous girl herself, knew what desperate times called for. Lena was sensitive, and although Kara was willing to accept and understand that, Kara found herself frustrated that Lena had snapped so easily at her when she warned her about Mike. It wasn’t that Kara didn’t want Lena to have fun; Kara wanted Lena to enjoy this trip as much as Kara hoped to enjoy it herself. It wasn’t Lena she didn’t trust. She trusted Lena with almost everything, but she sure as hell did not trust Mike. Kara didn’t trust Mike to not take advantage of Lena. She knew from that one party that drunk Lena was awful at making good decisions. 

“I can’t really be mad at just her and Mike, though,” thought Kara. “I could’ve totally just talked to Lena and hung out with her without being so...naggy.”

Kara sighed as she kept rubbing Lena’s back, feeling it expand and contract with every breath. Static electricity zapped Lena, but had little effect on her. Lena had fallen asleep just a few minutes ago, after a solid half an hour of throwing up. It always amazed her how humans were so susceptible to alcohol. Kara, as an alien, would not be able to get drunk on the human alcohol. Specially made alien alcohol would be the only viable option for Kara. Maggie had shown Alex the alien bar, where Kara first got drunk on Earth. She didn’t quite enjoy faking being drunk, because she always remembered everything everyone else did, but no one else bothered to.

“I care about you,” whispered Kara. “I really do. I want you to be happy.”

Lena stirred a little, rolling onto her back, her head now in Kara’s lap. Kara looked down at Lena’s exhausted but peaceful face. The poor girl always worked too much and too often, evident in the bags and dark area under her eyes. Kara had dragged her here in hopes of alleviating her, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. She stroked Lena’s hair softly, humming a tune from a musical while reprimanding herself for the way she handled things. She was lucky that Alex had sense enough to stay in the cafeteria and watch over Lena. Kara hated that she wasn’t the one who was there for Lena. Wasn’t it her friend? Wasn’t it Kara’s duty that Lena was to be kept safe, especially from people like Mike? 

“I’m sorry,” sighed Kara, leaning down and gently kissing Lena’s forehead. “I should’ve been there for you.”

 

* * *

 

Kara stayed for about an hour, pondering about Lena and if she would ever forgive Kara for not being there for and with her last night. It wasn’t really healthy to do that, of course, but Kara found nothing else to do in the given time. She wanted to be next to Lena, seeing as she hadn’t been there last night. However, the unhealthy thoughts finally took over and Kara decided she was sick of them. She took a deep breath and began to climb out of the bed when Lena woke up and rose.

“Hey,” croaked Lena, groggily. She yawned. “Gosh, I was tired.”

“You were,” said Kara, hugging Lena and forgetting about her self-scolding stew. “I’m glad you’re up now.”

“Do you want to do something today? Together?” asked Lena.

“Sure!” exclaimed Kara, jumping out of bed before realizing her stomach was growling.

“I think, er, someone’s trying to call you,” smirked Lena, pointing at Kara’s stomach.

“Oh, shut up,” blushed Kara, grabbing her abdomen. “Let’s go get breakfast first!”

“I’m surprised you hadn’t gone already.”

“I didn’t want to. I didn’t really think to, to be real.”

“I’m flattered. I’ve become more important than food.”

“I didn’t say it was because of you, though.”

“Yes, but that’s what you meant, isn’t it? Aww, you’re blushing!”

They put on their coats and crunched through the snow. Kara sighed a little, glancing around the mountain and realizing just how clean and beautiful it was. The snowy peaks and trees offered a view that the city sure as hell couldn’t. The snow was pure white, unlike the brown, grey, and even yellow of the city that she was so used to. She could hear a flock of birds getting ready to migrate southwards, cawing as they flew from tree to tree. Nature had always interested Kara, especially since Krypton wasn’t exactly known for its flora and fauna.Kara glanced at Lena, seeing how she was doing. Seeing as Lena had a happy glint in her eyes, Kara couldn’t help but smile herself. Kara grabbed Lena’s hand, squeezing it a little.

“Lena?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you forgive me?”

“For what?”

“For, um, leaving you just alone yesterday. I didn’t mean to exclude you, I just saw James and we hadn’t talked in a long time and I thought you would be okay with it and I don’t really know but you should know that I always hug him because we’re just those types of friends and really I mean just friends and-”

“Kara, Kara. It’s fine. I did overreact yesterday,” interrupted Lena, squeezing Kara’s hand back gently. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, and I shouldn’t have gone back to Mike.”

“Do tell,” said Kara, smirking. 

“That’s my line!” laughed Lena. “I thought about what he’d been saying, and I vaguely remember what he’d said when I got really drunk, and the more I thought the more I realized just how awful he was. I shouldn’t be spending time with people like him when…”

“When?”

“When I have friends like you, Kara. All I really need is someone like you in my life; no Mike, no nothing.”

Kara felt her mouth stretch into a smile. “Thanks.”

“I should really be thanking you, Kara. You’re the amazing friend.”

Kara thought about how Lena had drunkenly kissed her last night. She didn’t really mind, except for the fact that Lena was drunk. She had been wondering what it would be like to kiss Lena for a while, but didn’t want to “make a move” like Mike would. She figured it would be better just to not tell Lena about it, in case it caused a rift between the two. Kara, being superhuman, wasn’t afraid of many physical things, but anything dealing with emotions really did mess with her. She had yet to deal with breakups with friends, and hoped that it would never happen with Lena. 

As soon as they stepped into the main lodge, Kara beelined to the bagels, topping about three of them with as much cream cheese as was humanly possible. Lena, on the other hand, got a bowl of Lucky Charms, as a more average person would. 

“Wow, you must be hungry,” said Lena, noticing Kara’s pile of food.

“Yeah, I am. Also, fast metabolism, remember?”

“I love Lucky Charms more than any other breakfast food,” mumbled Lena through a mouthful of marshmallows and crunch. “Do you like bagels the most?”

“Nah, I would have potstickers and pizza for every meal if I had the option.”

“How are your arteries not combusted by this age? Did you just grow up on potstickers and pizza?”

“I must be special, huh?” joked Kara, slightly nervous. Her alien body processed nutrients differently from the humans, so of course they were surprised at what she could manage with her stomach. 

“You are,” replied Lena, looking at Kara while spooning another bite of cereal into her mouth.

“Do you want to play pool?” offered Kara, after using her x ray vision to scan for things to do in the main lodge.

“Are you serious? Hell yes! I’m amazing at pool!” exclaimed Lena, covering her mouth to prevent any cereal bits from going rogue.

“Hah! I bet you can’t beat me!”

“You’re on! Loser has to buy the other drinks when we get home!”

“Deal! Though, when you lose, you can just get potstickers for me!”

“I won’t lose, Kara Danvers,” smirked Lena.

“Let’s go!”

“I’m still eating! How is it that you literally ate three bagels in less than the time I took to eat one bowl of cereal?”

“You’re slowwwwww,” groaned Kara. 

“Realllllllyyyyyy, nowwwww?” said Lena, slowing down her letters and movement, especially her chewing.

“You suck!” exclaimed Kara, pushing Lena a little. 

 

* * *

 

“Okay, so…” Kara started, staring at the pool table.

“So...miss amazing-at-pool…”

“I know how to play and I can play well, but can you set it up?” asked Kara, reddening a little.

“Oh my god, Kara.”

“I’m a fool!” she exclaimed, hiding beneath her hands.

Kara watched carefully as Lena set up the table while she acquired two cues. Lena grabbed one as soon as the setup was ready and hit her ball straight on, sending the fifteen other balls everywhere, even shooting two into the holes.

“Got em,” said Lena, glancing at Kara. 

“Prepare to die,” declared Kara, aiming and successfully scoring more than Lena. 

“Nope, nope!” Lena rushed to the other side of the table in order to score again. 

Eventually, the two ended up in a bit of a stalemate, running from side to side as they knocked the balls around in an attempt to prevent the other from scoring. Kara finally scored the last ball in, and turned to face Lena. 

“You will never win!” yelled Kara.

“I will eventually win! I demand a rematch!”

“Fine! Best of three, then!”

“Sounds good! Get ready to get crushed, Kara. That was a warm up.”

The two continued to play for hours upon hours, alternating wins in a way that had the other demanding a rematch constantly. But Kara found that playing competitively made her extremely hungry. While they played, Kara ignored her growling stomach, but Lena gave her a snarky look each time, as if to say “you’re going to give in.” It had become less of a competition of pool and rather a competition between Kara and her stomach. A half an hour after the first growl of Kara’s stomach, Kara lost both to her stomach and to Lena.

“Not fair!” pouted Kara.

“See! I told you I would win, eventually!”

“My stomach let you win! I would never have let you win!”

“I wouldn’t have let you let me win!” 

“I want food!”

“Okay!”

After Kara restocked her energy supply with three plates of lasagna, she stormed back into the arcade, looking for the pool table, when she noticed the vacant Pac-Man game. Putting in a few quarters to start the game, she blocked out everything she could in order to concentrate.

“Boo!” screamed Lena, grabbing Kara’s shoulders. She was met with a sharp jab in the stomach. “What was that for?”

“You made me lose Pac-Man!” shouted Kara, glaring at Lena.

“Let me try!”

“I bet you can’t beat me!”

“I bet your stomach can!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Kara had, in fact, not given in to her stomach. In fact, she didn’t need to. Lena, though extremely competitive, had quickly lost interest in Pac-Man and found better entertainment in watching Kara play Pac-Man herself, guiding her whenever she could. As the levels progressed, Kara found Lena cheering for her. When finally, Pac-Man was eaten by a ghost, Kara’s points had racked up enough to be on the top 10. 

“Congrats!” congratulated Lena, hugging Kara with all her strength.

“Thanks!” responded Kara, trying to control her strength as to not break all of Lena’s bones. 

“This has been so fun,” commented Lena, pulling away from Kara.

“It has,” agreed Kara, yawning a little. “I’m tired, though.”

“Do you want to take a nap with me?”

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired, so sorry if there are a million errors.


	9. Flies By Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry that this is late! I had a ton of stuff yesterday, and I desperately wanted to write this for you guys, but I just didn't have the time! Here's a pretty cute chapter, though :3

Kara felt the wind blowing her hair back and the sun gleaming on her back as she flew over National City. The thing different about this flight, however, was that her arms were not stretched in front of her; rather, her arms were below her, carrying Lena as they soared through the air together. It reminded Kara of the time when she and Alex had flown during the middle of the night. Of course, that ended up in Jeremiah getting dragged away by the government, but it was such an amazing feeling, nonetheless. 

“You enjoying this?” asked Kara.

“Well, I’ve never been a fan of flying, but this certainly has become my favorite form of transportation,” shouted Lena over the whoosh of the wind.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere you are!”

A soft smile crept to Kara’s lips, the way Lena was always able to make her. She certainly didn’t remember anyone else that always made a bubbly feeling rise in her stomach, or awaken a fire inside of her this often. Holding tighter onto Lena, she accelerated through the air and took Lena for a cruise around the city. 

“The view is spectacular!” Lena commented. “Is this what flying always is like?”

“My view is better,” smirked Kara. “But yes! It’s truly wonderful, isn’t it?”

She flew down to the harbor, continuing to fly over the water, leaving only a few feet between Lena and the surface. Tightly holding onto Lena with one arm, she put her hand on the water, making little droplets skitter across the water like bugs. 

“Try it! It’s really fun!”

Kara watched as Lena also extended a hand into the water. She looked back as she flew over the water, which now had two streaks of water following them. Kara breathed in, the mixture of Lena’s homely scent and the sweet salt of the sea almost intoxicating. She hadn’t felt this free in ages. She had always wanted to be able to take someone flying over National City and the sea, holding onto them as they trusted her. It felt so right that Kara couldn’t tell if it was real-

“Kara?” said Lena, interrupting her thought.

“Hm?”

“Kara, wake up!” 

Opening her eyes, Kara blinked to let sunlight flood her eyes. She had merely been dreaming, having fallen asleep on Lena on the way back home from the ski lodge. Kara closed her eyes, hoping that she could still feel the wind in her hair as she flew with Lena. It had just felt so real, from the smell of Lena to the jumping water. Sighing, she stretched her neck and sat us in her bus seat. It wasn’t the first time she’d had dreams about taking someone flying, but in those dreams, the figure below her had had no face, no name, no meaning to her. A part of her felt more whole that Lena had replaced that figure, but another part of her was upset that it wasn’t a reality. She turned to face Lena, who was gazing at her with glimmering eyes.

“Are we home?” asked Kara.

“Almost. We’re just pulling into the parking lot.”

“I hope you had fun, because I sure did.”

“I really did, besides the whole tequila thing. Thanks for making me go! I would’ve regretted not going, especially since I did realize a few things.”

“Yeah, me too,” agreed Kara, breathing deeply.

 

* * *

 

Kara spent the rest of the Sunday frantically replying to all the messages and typing up essays that she knew were not her best work. She really should not have gone to the ski lodge this weekend, but she’d just felt a calling that she couldn’t ignore. Something had been pushing her to go with Lena, no matter what. This gravitational pull was odd for Kara, who usually didn’t get so attached to people. It wasn’t like she wasn’t close with anyone else, but she never had a constant longing to be close to them.

That night, Kara found herself unable to fall asleep. Her mind kept drifting to the dream of flying with Lena. She knew it was dangerous to go flying, especially in broad daylight. It hurt her to remember that the last time she had flown for fun, she had torn apart her adopted family. Seeing the regret and fear in Alex’s eyes had changed the way Kara saw herself for years upon years. She couldn’t help but think that she was a monster. An alien with powers she absolutely shouldn’t have. Someone who didn’t belong here, and especially not with the Danvers. She was afraid that her existence had always burdened Alex’s life and path. Anything wrong that happened to the Danvers, she had blamed herself, whether it be a broken down car, or a mugging while in the city. It had taken so much restraint - too much restraint - to hold Kara back from beating up the armed men who were stealing from Eliza.

But she heard a soft hitch in the voice coming from the other side of her bedroom wall. Kara got up from bed and tiptoed towards Lena’s apartment. She took a deep breath and knocked twice, using her x ray vision to make sure Lena wasn’t just asleep.

“Hey,” said Kara, as a messy haired and red-eyed Lena opened the door.

“What’s up?” asked Lena, running her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to control it.

“I couldn’t sleep,” admitted Kara. “But I heard you, and I was wondering if you were okay…”

“Oh,” said Lena, turning a bit red. “Nothing much, I guess. Do you want to come in?”

“Sure.”

Kara followed Lena inside her apartment, noticing an empty glass and multiple bottles of beer all over the room. 

“I was just…” started Lena, shoving aside the bottles in shame. 

“It’s okay. You can talk to me, you know?”

“I know,” sighed Lena. “I just didn’t want to disrupt your sleep.”

“I’m willing to get up for you.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Really, I mean that. You’re like, my best friend. There’s no reason I wouldn’t want to.”

“It’s just...Christmas is coming soon.”

“Hey, you know you have an invitation to my place, right?”

Lena nodded. “Yeah, it’s just that I remembered how Lex used to be such a sweetheart when we were little. We would decorate the tree together, which he’d convinced our parents to get, just for me. He was the one who gifted me this necklace, you know?”

Kara looked down at Lena’s neck, noticing the beautiful silver and blue charm that really stood out against her pale skin. Lena held it up so that Kara could see it even better. There were little engravings on the silver plating, somewhat arbitrary numbers littered all about.

“They’re coordinates to our house, engraved multiple times,” explained Lena. “I have yet to take this necklace off for more than two hours.”

“Wow,” commented Kara. “That’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, that was before his xenophobia and alien hunting madness,” frowned Lena. “Sorry, you know that aliens are on Earth, right?”

“Of course,” chuckled Kara.

“Some people still don’t know. They’re right with us, whether it be the Noonan’s barista, or some lawyer, or even another student here. It doesn’t really matter, as long as they don’t try to attack anyone, you know? I just don’t understand how it’s so hard to see that not all aliens mean harm,” sighed Lena. 

“I totally understand,” said Kara, a wave of relief coming over her. “Seeing all those protests about sending aliens back to their planets are kind of disgusting.”

“I know! They’re here for a reason. No one chooses to just leave their planet without thinking it through.”

“I uh,” began Kara. “I do know someone who took refuge on Earth, because their planet was just blown up.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s terrible,” gasped Lena. “Gosh, that must’ve been so hard, adjusting to life.”

“Yeah, it was. For them, of course.”

“I can’t imagine.”

“Well, hopefully you won’t ever have to.”

“Yeah,” said Lena. “Well, thanks for talking to me, Kara. It really helps to know that you’re right there, just beyond that wall.”

“Of course!” Kara didn’t move. “Can I sleep here?”

“In my apartment? Sure.”

Kara made her way to Lena’s bed, pulling the covers over her as she breathed in everything that smelled like Lena. Lena shut her book and made her way to the bed, next to Kara.

“Good night, Lena.”

“Night.”

 

* * *

 

“Alex! You’re here! Merry Christmas!” exclaimed Kara as she pulled a huge turkey from the oven. 

“Yep, here I am! Merry Christmas to you, dork!” Alex walked over to Kara, arms outstretched for a hug. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been great! Oh, is that bread? I love bread. Why does Earth have such good food?” Kara pulled out some ham from the oven as well, setting it on the kitchen counter to cool a little. 

“Yeah, I brought some wine, too. We can actually have drinks together, since you turned 21 just a while ago.”

“Alex, you know I can’t get drunk,” sighed Kara.

“Hey, it’s a Christmas tradition.”

“Do you know if Eliza will be coming?”

“Yeah! She called me a few minutes ago, actually. She’s on her way.”

“Perfect. James and Winn will be here in a bit, too. Where’s Maggie?”

“Here I am!” shouted a voice, bursting through the door. Maggie ran over to Alex and gave her a quick kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck. Kara grinned, seeing how flustered and happy Maggie was able to make Alex.

“Merry Christmas!” said Kara, giving Maggie a huge hug. 

“Merry Christmas, Kara! Hey, I brought some potstickers and pie! I hear you’re a huge fan.”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is amazing, Maggie. You are the true heroine of Christmas. Alex! Alex! She brought potstickers! This is so great! Christmas is almost perfect!” squealed Kara, jumping around.

“Almost?” asked Alex.

“Kara?” asked a familiar voice, coming from the door yet again. “I’m here.”

“Lena!” Kara sprinted and flew into Lena, hugging her tightly. “Merry Christmas!”

“Hello,” said Alex, nodding her head. 

“Hi, I’m Maggie,” said Maggie, extending a hand towards Lena. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“It’s a pleasure,” responded Lena politely. “I’m Lena.”

“So I hear.”

“Hey, hey, hey, the party’s here!” yelled Winn, slamming open the door, leading the way for James and Eliza. 

“Winn! James! Eliza! Oh, this is just so exciting!” yelped Kara, hugging everyone. “Here, sit, sit! Food’s almost ready!”

“Smells good,” commented James, offering a charismatic smile that Kara used to swoon over.

“Family recipe, remember?” said Kara, winking at Eliza.

“Oh, I missed my girls,” said Eliza, hugging both Alex and Kara. 

Kara ran over to the cupboards and retrieved a ton of plates for everyone. They all sat at Kara’s huge dining table, which had everything set up except for the food. Alex and Kara strode over to the kitchen counter, grabbing the turkey and the ham, plating it beautifully. 

“Wow,” said Lena.

“Wow is right! Hey, guys, you know Lena, right? She’s the one who won our game in the library, remember? A true legend,” said Kara.

“That was her?” gasped Winn. “Wow, I respect you even more than before.”

“Thanks,” responded Lena. 

“Ooh! Potstickers, here I come!” exclaimed Kara, grabbing the nearest potsticker with finesse. 

Many potstickers and drinks later, they gathered around Kara’s couch as they prepared for karaoke. Kara excitedly twiddled with her fingers as Winn set up the machine. 

“You ready?” asked Winn, his finger on the button. 

“I’ve been ready since last Christmas!” Kara shouted. The familiar chords of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas filled the room.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” began Kara, closing her eyes as she belted out the notes. “There’s just one thing I need.”

“I don’t care about the presents,” sang Winn

“Underneath the Christmas tree,” continued James. “I just want you for my own.” 

“More than you could ever know,” started Alex.

“Make my wish come true,” sang Maggie.

“All I want for Christmaass, issssss, youuuuuuuu,” hollered both Kara and Lena. 

The two glanced at each other and laughed, getting ready as the bells in the karaoke signaled the beginning of a new verse. Every time the chorus came back on, Kara and Lena would harmonize to each other, Lena taking the lower notes. Winn whistled, cheering them on. James clapped to the beat, while Maggie and Alex snapped. Eliza sat back and took a video of them all.

By the end of the song, they were all exhausted. It was Kara’s favorite song of all time, and always brought out all those emotions within her. There remained a tingly fire inside of her heart as she heard it beat. Every time she looked at Lena, that fire grew. But something seemed to be bothering Lena. Could it be Lex? Could it be old Christmas memories? Something was definitely being hidden. Kara made a mental note to ask Lena about it.

“Wow, it’s already 11!” said Winn, checking his phone. “Well, I have to get going, Kara. It’s been awesome!”

“Yeah! It has!” she exclaimed.

“Actually, I’m going to go too,” said James. 

“That’s quite alright. If you guys want to go, feel free to! Thank you for coming!”

James, Winn, Eliza, Maggie, and Alex shuffled out the door. All but Lena, who stood near the kitchen island. 

“I have something for you,” Kara said to an idle Lena. 

“Oh?”

“Yep!” Kara dug in her huge pocket and grabbed a beautiful jewelry box, presenting it to Lena. “Here. Open it.”

Kara watched as Lena carefully pried the box open. Inside was a glittering silver chain with a golden elephant at the end of it, with emerald ears. It shone as Lena ran her fingers over the gems. 

“It’s beautiful, Kara,” whispered Lena. “Thank you. I do have something for you, too.”

“Oh, I’m glad you like it,” squealed Kara, hugging Lena, who had soft tears in her eyes.

“Here,” said Lena, giving Kara a small, wrapped box. 

Kara tore the wrapping paper. Opening the box, she found two little potstickers staring back at her, the light bouncing off of the shiny metal. 

“Oh my god,” gasped Kara. “This is perfect.”

“Put them on,” requested Lena. Kara took the potsticker earrings and put them through. “You look good!”

“Really?” said Kara, the fire inside her really coming alive now. “Oh, they’re so cute.”

“I know. I saw these and knew you would love them.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you. I’m so glad you came over for today. I hope you had fun.”

“I did. You have a wonderful voice, Kara, but you already knew that.”

“Hey, yours isn’t bad either. That harmonization was on point.”

Kara hugged her close again, and then kissed her on the cheek. Lena’s face turned a little pink. 

“Merry Christmas, Lena.”

“Merry Christmas, Kara.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I might start taking more time to publish chapters. I want to get some good quality, actually, and I don't think a few hours on one chapter each night will accomplish what I want to. I apologize in advance.

Kara picked up the papers she had just organized and straightened them all out neatly, ready for Professor Grant’s criticism about how papers were to be organized. Although it was winter break, Professor Grant had requested that Kara come in to organize a few things, if she were not going home. Kara, of course, stayed in her apartment over break. It was her home now, and Eliza never guilted Alex or Kara into coming home, but rather, organized times where she could see her daughters. Besides, Kara loved seeing her family. She wouldn’t give any of them up for anything, and loved seeing them whenever possible.

It had been a few months since she had first been asked to be Professor Grant’s assistant, yet nothing between Cat and her had changed. They talked strictly college or about Kara’s work as an assistant, which usually consisted of making phone calls for Professor Grant’s appointments for therapy after some sort of meeting with her mother. Kara couldn’t help but notice how similar Professor Grant and Lena were, realizing that both their mothers had never displayed true pride in them. Of course, Cat had taken her experience to completely prove her mother wrong and it had built her into an assertive, powerful woman. With Lena, it was possible that all it did was build up that glacier inside of Lena’s heart. It was likely that this “disappointment” had emotionally damaged Lena, rather than help her.

“Ah, Kiera, I see you have everything done, but you are just standing there, like a buffoon. Just place the papers and leave. Do not wait around idly for me, when you could be doing something else,” said Professor Grant, walking into the office and sipping the latte that sat on her desk. “Mm. This is hot. Noonan’s must’ve really invested in cups with good insulation.”

“Yes, of course, Ms. Grant.” Kara ducked and began to walk out of the room when she realized she had something to ask Ms. Grant. “Actually, Ms. Grant, I had a question.”

“What is it, Kiera? Is it about your paper that’s due for me after break?”

“No...um, so...I was wondering if you uh...happened to know…” Kara said, scratching her head.

“Kiera, what did I tell you about asking questions?”

“Right. To be direct. Do you know when Lena’s birthday is?”

“Well,” began Professor Grant, leaning back in her chair. “What sparked this interest?”

“She’s my friend. One of my best friends, actually. I want to do something special for her birthday, but I realized I didn’t know when it was, so I figured you might know.”

“Indeed I do. If I remember correctly,” said the professor, digging up an old planner, “it should be the 29th of December.”

“That’s tomorrow!” gasped Kara. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” said Cat, but her words were lost when Kara ran out of the office.

 

* * *

 

Kara ran into her apartment and dumped all her things on the floor. Frantically, she kicked the papers to the side while grabbing a pen and notepad. She began to plan out Lena’s surprise party, listing all the things she would need in her notepad. 

“Cake, food, drinks, streamers, balloons, a present, candles, ugh, I don’t know what to get her, shit, what else do I need?” muttered Kara, running around the apartment in circles in order to figure out something that would work for Lena’s birthday. 

Her plan was to have the surprise party be at around 6 in the evening, but since it was already late, she would have less than a day to have everything ready. She sighed and began to stalk Lena’s social media, looking for any indications of what kinds of things she liked that Kara missed. After browsing through Lena’s Instagram for hours, Kara had found out multiple things. First of all, not many people knew when her birthday ever was, so the fact that Kara was doing something - anything - for Lena in honor of her birthday would be a surprise in itself. Secondly, Lena loved chocolate. She’d posted multiple things about how she had chocolate everything - chocolate spread, chocolate ice cream, chocolate pudding, even chocolate beer. She made a mental note to herself about such and to keep Lena away from strong alcohol. 

When Kara woke the next morning, she immediately started preparing for the surprise. She called her favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered many sets of potstickers for the evening, to the mutual delightment and horror of the owners. She looked online for rich chocolate cake recipes, stopping when she saw a beautiful one that contained both white and milk chocolate. Kara immediately started whipping up the batter, using all of her stores of comfort chocolate in order to create this thing of beauty. While it sat in the oven, Kara rushed to the nearest Party City, grabbing balloons and a banner, after which she was tempted to fly home. She essentially hovered, going through dark alleyways in order to not be seen flying, and arrived just in time for the cake to have finished. She was lucky that she lived so close to commercial areas.

She flew around the house, dusting shelves and arranging furniture neatly while she hung up the banner from high places. Streamers hung all over the place, replacing the small Christmas lights that had been there since November. The most painful thing for Kara was actually filling up the balloons with helium, which took forever when using the canister that was available. The began to fill up the ceiling, and after an excruciating hour or two, the lights had essentially turned from a regular light source to a disco ball. 

After she set up the table with silverware and plated the delivered items, she used her x ray vision to check whether or not Lena was busy. From what she could see, Lena had a bottle of wine with her while she typed on her computer. She seemed to be muttering something while taking a swig from the bottle, continuing to type. This was her cue. Kara walked out of her apartment and knocked on Lena’s door. 

“Hey, it’s Kara!” Kara shouted.

“It’s open!” Lena yelled back.

“Want to come over?” offered Kara, walking into the apartment. 

“What?” Lena stood up, confused. “Uh...I guess...sure?”

“Good!” Kara grabbed Lena’s hand and began to drag her towards her room, right next door. “Happy birthday!”

“Oh my god!” exclaimed Lena, standing in the doorway in shock, the bright balloon-lights causing her to turn a shade of blue and pink. “This is why you were so loud all day.”

“Maaayyybbe. Sit down for dinner! I got us some potstickers, but I also got calzones, which I heard you love.”

“Damn,” said Lena, sitting down at one end of the table. “How did you know?”

“I might’ve stalked you on Instagram,” said Kara, shoving food into her mouth. “Oh, you mean your birthday! Well, my source shall remain anonymous!”

“Cat Grant. What a woman,” sighed Lena. Kara reddened a little and piled more food into her mouth. Unlike Kara, she took time to eat her food, savoring each bite. “Wow, you got really good calzones. Usually places just stick as much cheese in as they want.”

“Of course! Only the best for you,” Kara chuckled.

“Gosh, Kara,” gushed Lena, blushing a little. “This is so sweet of you.”

“Psh, nah.”

“It really is. You don’t need to humble yourself.”

“Well, I suppose it was sweet of me,” Kara asserted. “You just mean a lot to me, you know? Your birthday really matters to, even if I had to find out through someone else.”

“I physically can’t stop smiling,” said Lena, shakily. 

“Oh! Just wait for sweet!” Kara quickly shuffled to the kitchen area and turned around with a beautiful cake in her hands. “I made you a cake!”

“Oh Kara…” Lena trailed off, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. “You didn’t have to.”

“Well, yes, I didn’t HAVE to, but I wanted to,” said Kara, coming over to Lena with the cake. “I really wanted to. Trust me. I would not want to be doing anything else right now. Being here, with you? On your birthday? It feels amazing.”

Kara began to sing Happy Birthday to Lena in her soft, gentle voice. She watched as a few tears streamed down Lena’s face. By the end of the song, Lena was silent except for a few sniffles. A short children’s song, but it had apparently been enough to make a now 22 year old weep.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Kara, setting the cake down and putting a hand on Lena’s shoulder. 

“Yes, I think so,” sniffled Lena, wiping away a few tears. “It’s just...no one’s ever done something like this for me before.”

“Lena…”

“It’s okay. It was in the past, after all. After being a Luthor, you grow used to it.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean it should’ve become your normal. You have me in your life now. Your life will now be full of things you possibly never imagined!”

“Oh, I know,” sighed Lena. “I’m so lucky.”

“I want to show you something,” Kara said, grabbing Lena’s hand. “We can come back to the cake later.”

Kara and Lena made their way to the elevator, climbing to the highest allowed level. They then entered the stairwell and climbed up to the roof of the apartment complex, allowing them to look up at the few stars that shone through all the light pollution. 

“It’s kind of cold,” Lena admitted, shivering a little.

“Come here,” offered Kara, motioning for Lena to sit with her on the bench available. “So…”

“Something you want to tell me? Or show me?”

“Right, right. So...I’m an alien,” said Kara, looking right at Lena. To her surprise, Lena started laughing, leaning back in the bench. 

“Prove it.”

Kara sighed and jumped, beginning to fly all over the place. “Maybe I could take you flying sometime.”

“Maybe,”

“You don’t seem the least fazed by this.”

“I think it’s just shock that’s helping numb itself.”

“You know,” said Kara, “I also have super hearing and x ray vision and all that.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“It is.”

“And creepy.”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Come on! This is just cool!”

Lena laughed. “Alright, alright. I trust you’ll do good with your powers, you alien.”

The two made their way back into Kara’s apartment, where Lena then checked her phone. Horror masked the girl’s face as panic took over her words. 

“Shit!” Lena yelled. “I butt dialed my mother!”

“Shit.”

“I’m so sorry, Kara. You just showed me such a big secret and you just set up this wonderful birthday thing and all I do is reveal you to my mother, who’s an avid alien hater. Oh, what have I done, what have I done?”

“Lena, Lena, it’s okay. I can deal with it.”

“I’m just scared, Kara. My mother’s a dangerous person. I can’t just have her know that you’re...well, an alien! She’s going to try to take you out. She’s going to attack you in whatever way she sees fit. Oh, curse my butt dialing.”

“Lena…”

“I just ruined everything, Kara,” whispered Lena, dropping onto the couch, emotionally exhausted and defeated. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Lena,” affirmed Kara. “I promise you, everything will be okay. I can deal with her, okay?”

Lena bowed her head in defeat. “C-c-can I stay here tonight? I don’t really want to go into my own room, alone, when my mother’s just found out about you.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Kara and Lena lay under the covers and inched closer in order to preserve as much heat as they could. Seeing as it was late December, the days were unforgivingly cold, and any warmth was something to be treasured. Lena rested her head on Kara’s chest, hugging her tightly while shivering. Kara stroked Lena’s hair while she began to fall asleep.

“I love you,” said Kara, smiling down at Lena, who was out cold. She bent down and kissed Lena’s cheek before closing her own eyes to drift off. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you guys are enjoying the fic! I adore writing about these two.

Ever since the awful butt dialing incident, Lena was scared to open her phone. She refused to check it unless Kara personally checked it for her. As a Luthor, she was branded by evil, whether or not she wanted to. Her nightmare was not other people looking at her like she was a monster, but Kara doing so. She doubted that the sweet girl could ever hate anyone, but it wasn’t a risk Lena was willing to take. She figured that if she was to trust Kara with being able to see anything Lillian was sending, Kara would understand that Lena would never try to intentionally hurt her. Lena could stand a few more emotional punches, but she didn’t want even a single scratch to appear on Kara’s body. 

Gosh, she regretted keeping her phone in her back pocket. She didn’t think her mother heard much of the conversation, but Lena knew that she had heard enough. It must’ve happened when she leaned back on the bench on the roof. 

“If your mother asks about the incident, you could say that it’s for Philosophy. Say it’s some sort of social experiment, and we were merely rehearsing, or even playing out some sort of hypothetical situation,” suggested Kara, seeing just how in distress Lena was.

“I don’t know, she’ll pick it up because I’m such an awful liar and I know that’s ironic coming from a Luthor but just how can I stay poised and how can I keep my words straight and gack why am I rambling?” said Lena, words flying out of her mouth.

“I guess I’m rubbing off on you,” joked Kara. “Seriously. It can’t be worth nothing.”

Sure enough, a few hours later, Lena’s phone began to go off. Lena tried to ignore it, but after the 6th set of rings, she couldn’t resist anymore. 

“Hello, Mother,” greeted Lena. “I apologize, for I was in the bathroom, taking a shower.”

“Oh, dear, how I’ve missed you. We ought to catch up.”

“What are you calling me for?”

“I love you, Lena dear,” Lillian replied, causing Lena to tense up. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing quite alright.”

“If this is about the other night…”

“Ah, Lena. Quite the bright one. Have you discovered an alien?”

“No, Mother. It was a social experiment that I’m working on for Philosophy.”

“Shame, shame. I was hoping that we could make National City more human again. All these aliens, taking over our Earth and claiming they have a right to be here. I had hoped you would live up to the Luthor name.”

“No, Mother. We were merely acting,” said Lena, gritting her teeth with each syllable and sweating profusely. She could feel the perspiration begin to pile up beneath her armpits, much to her embarrassment. 

“Seemed rather...like very good acting, Lena. Perhaps you really should’ve become an actress.”

“You never did have a heart for theatre, Mother. But neither did you have one for me.”

“Oh, but Lena, I love you.”

“You and I both know that’s not true. Goodbye, Mother.”

“Until next time.”

Lena sighed and breathed out, unaware that she had been holding in so much. She relaxed her shoulders and leaned back in Kara’s couch. She wasn’t completely sure that Lillian believed every word she said, but it was something she had to have faith in. For too many days, Lena had been too scared to go back into her own apartment, unsure if her mother might actually show up in person. Kara actually had to go out and get groceries, while Lena stayed inside, because Lena didn’t want to risk being seen by anyone that knew her mother. Ironic, since Kara herself was the alien, but Lena knew that under her mother’s evil gaze, Lena would crumple and confess everything. She was lucky that her mother decided to call instead, because this meant that she could avoid that awful look.

“That wasn’t so bad,” said Kara. “Well, you were fine, I mean, but like, your mother is awful. Is she always that awful? Gosh, I’m so sorry you have to deal with that.”

“She’s not my mother,” muttered Lena, rubbing her eyes. “She’s an evil witch.”

Kara’s face softened. “She may not be your family, but you are a part of mine, now.”

“Thanks,” responded Lena, her heart melting. She knew that Kara didn’t mean it the way Lena read it, but she absolutely wished it was. She had realized that the tingles and the little fires that had been inside her had been feelings for Kara, specifically. Lena wanted to be with Kara. Any time she was near Kara, she always felt a pull towards her that was almost irresistible. Whenever they watched TV shows together and ended up snuggling, Lena had always stared at Kara’s lips, wanting to show Kara how she felt. Kara made her truly happy and was the only one who was warm enough to grab onto her wall of ice that had been able to keep so many others out without repelling her.

Lena wanted nothing but Kara. There had been girls in the past that Lena had always floated to, and girls that had cut ropes when they suspected that Lena was less interested in boys and more in them. First had been Emma, who had been her childhood best friend, who turned out to be a homophobe. Next had been a whole list of girls who Lena had fallen for, but never reciprocated even a will for friendship. Feelings had always been the root of problems for Lena. Fear grasped onto Lena every time she thought of being with Kara, the vines around her throat constricting every time she dared to speak to her. She didn’t want to mess up anything between them. She didn’t want to do anything that would push Kara away the way she’d pushed away those other girls. But how was she to do such a thing, if her mother was the driving force behind the biggest anti-alien force in the area? How was she supposed to get close to Kara if her mother was going to exterminate her? Lena couldn’t do that to Kara. She couldn’t lose Kara. Not when their friendship was only just developing. Not when there was no one else who wasn’t scared of her.

All she wanted was someone who cared and loved for her the way she did for them. Over the course of her life, the ice instilled in her as she was passed from foster home to home grew, the frost spreading all over her chest and slowly into her head. If Kara hadn’t shown up in time, Lena likely would’ve lost her mind. Any sort of human contact would’ve made her snap. Any sort of kindness would’ve elicited a response of distrust, rather than of gratitude. Lena hated that all her life, she had been out of control. Out of control of her feelings, her life, her relationships. All of these had been dictated by the Luthors. She wasn’t sure what was worse: going from home to home with all her possessions in a garbage bag, or settling with the icy Luthors. Of course, Lex had helped her adjust, and his kindness had made her feel like she was a part of a true family, but all of those things were lost when Lex showed his true colors and raged on the aliens.

Ever since she had first heard someone on the other side of the wall, a seed of hope had been planted into her heart. A hope that someone really could love her. A hope that someone could really care for her. When she first encountered Kara on the first day - a bubbly, charming, awkwardly adorable girl - she knew that her life would not ever be the same again. It was no wonder Lena was so terribly attracted to this girl. Who wouldn’t? Winn had been, James had been, and now she was. Those seeds had grown into little plants with roots that yanked on her heart every time she saw Kara with anyone else. It was a dumb fear, really, but it wasn’t as though Lena could really control how she felt. After Kara admitted Alex’s influence on her about the Luthor name, Lena knew that she was dealing with someone who was honest. When Kara really showed that she gave no shits about the fact that Lena shared the same name as these xenophobic fools, Lena knew. And when finally, Kara showed that she was an alien, Lena almost broke down and cried, for everyone in her life had shown nothing but lies and a facade. 

Then, was it any surprise, at the New Year’s Eve party at Kara’s, that Lena felt guilt all throughout her body? Was it any surprise that any sort of conversation led to an internal monologue about how awful person Lena was? Was it any surprise that the upbeat music didn’t lift the melancholy weights that forced Lena to drag her feet behind her with every step? How was it fair that when Kara showed her the biggest secret of her life, Lena had betrayed it with her simple butt dial? Lena was waiting for Kara to explode and hate her. She wasn’t sure how she would handle the situation. How could she go back to the way life was before Kara Danvers came in and showed her what a true friend was like?

Lena placed the glass of champagne down and walked up to the roof. The cold air blew all around her, threatening to throw her off the bench. As much as she adored the sight of snow in the city, she did not want to land face first into it. She gazed up at the few stars that shone through, trying to make any sort of constellation with them. She looked down, examining the city’s celebration of the New Year. People were probably taking changes, kissing people, snuggling with their crushes, admitting their love to people, while they drank and drank to forget anything regrettable they would say.

“Hey,” said Kara, interrupting Lena’s thoughts. She flew towards Lena, sitting down on the bench next to her.

“Hey,” said Lena, staring at her. The two of them gazed into each other's’ eyes, Lena watching Kara’s mouth as each breath expelled visible vapor. “What are you doing here?”

“Figured I might as well get some fresh air,” replied Kara. “And I noticed you were gone. I checked your apartment, but then I saw you here on the roof.”

“Right, x ray vision.”

“Don’t worry, I use it sparingly.”

Lena laughed. “Oh, I wasn’t suggesting you weren’t. Though, who knows?”

“Oi!” yelped Kara, reddening. “Anyways, what’s up?”

“Well, just...Mother...family...things…”

“Is it about that phone call earlier?” Of course Kara immediately knew.

“Yes?”

“Well, you can trust me, Lena. We’re friends, remember?”

“Right. Just friends.” The words tasted bitter on Lena’s tongue, despite her loving that she was able to even be friends with the beautiful girl. “It’s just that...no one’s ever trusted me with anything before. Especially not with something as big as your secret. And of course, I ruined it! A secret meant for me was shared with me, an evil, alien-hating bitch.

“I’ve absolutely ruined your cover. You deserve better than me, and yet you confided in me. Instead of telling me to go fuck yourself when I told you I was a Luthor, you stuck with me and decided to listen to me. I’ve never had that before. Any time I say that I’m a Luthor I get glances that show nothing but fear. For fuck’s sake, I can’t even walk around in public without someone recognizing me as one of them.

“And now...now, I’m scared. I’m scared that you’ll get hurt, and that it’ll all be because of me, and that it’s because you trusted a Luthor. I don’t want to hurt you. You don’t deserve to feel such awful pain. I didn’t want to betray you. I’m scared, Kara. I don’t want you to hate me,” Lena finished, putting her head in her hands, covering up the few tears that had accumulated by her eyes. 

“Oh, Lena,” mumbled Kara, rubbing Lena’s back. “I could never hate you. It was an honest mistake.”

Lena looked at Kara with disbelief. “You don’t understand. My mother will find a way to hurt you. I can’t let that happen. Not to the girl I love.”

She froze, realizing what she had just said. However, Kara seemed clueless.

“I swear I’ll be okay,” reassured Kara. “I promise. For both your sake and for mine.”

“I’m so sorry,” sobbed Lena, the tears beginning to really flow. 

Lena felt her head being tilted upwards towards Kara. Through all the tears, she could see Kara’s blurry face. Two hands encapsulated her face. 

“I promise. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

The tears flowed and the sniffles kept coming, hiccups eventually plaguing Lena as well. But nothing would’ve stopped Lena from feeling Kara’s soft lips on hers, and from gently holding the back of Kara’s head to kiss her back.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! It finally happened! A non drunk kiss!   
> Here is when the plot will really begin to thicken. All of what happened so far was really just exposition. Get ready for eventual angst


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note for the future: it is unlikely that I'll be able to post on Tuesday nights.

Kara groggily woke up, eyelids heavy and refusing to open. Through the little slits that were open, she was able to see Lena’s chest heaving up and down with each breath that passed through her. Kara moved in closer to her, placing a hand on Lena’s waist and resting her head on Lena’s shoulder. Lena began to shift a little, naturally wrapping a protective arm around Kara. Kara leaned in to press her mouth to Lena’s, glad that she had finally figured out her feelings.

Everything made sense in the instant Kara dared to kiss Lena. It made sense why she hated Mon-El so much. It made sense why seeing Lena with just about anyone else made her ultra protective. It made sense why Kara always wanted to spend time with Lena. When Lena had drunkenly kissed her, it had upset Kara because she was afraid Lena was only acting that way because of alcohol. She was scared that Lena didn’t actually have feelings for Kara in return. She had been such an idiot. It should’ve been obvious that Lena had feelings for her too. Why else would Lena have gotten so jealous over James? Why else would she have drunkenly kissed her? Usually, people who are drunk do things that they’ve always wanted to do. She cursed herself for not talking to Lena about this earlier, but she was glad things had gone the way they did.

After they had kissed on the roof last night, Kara brought Lena back into her apartment, where everyone else was waiting for the New Year to come. Kara felt a burning sensation in her heart, wanting to be with Lena alone, forcing herself not to stare at Lena the entire time. Ironically, once it came time for everyone to leave, Kara didn’t know what to do or what to say.

“So…” started Kara, looking down at her hands while the two sat on the couch together.

“You’re beautiful,” mumbled Lena. “Anyways, er...um...so, what are we?”

“What do you want us to be?”

“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.”

They’d rested in silence for a while, listening to each other’s hearts beat and feeling their chests move with each breath. 

“Lena?”

“Yes?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Absolutely!” exclaimed Lena, a wide smile stretching across her face. “I would love that.”

Now, they lay in bed together, sharing a warmth that Kara had longed to feel for weeks. Lena turned over to face Kara now and held her face with her hands, stroking her cheeks with her thumbs while she gazed into Kara’s bright blue eyes. Kara couldn’t help but feel mesmerized by the pale green of her girlfriend’s eyes. They looked so fragile, so transparent, but Kara knew now that there was a hard layer right underneath the thin veil.

“I have to tell you something,” blurted Kara, moving in closer to Lena.

“You can tell me anything.”

“Well, you at the ski lodge...do you remember how you got drunk?”

“Oh no...I must’ve done something…” groaned Lena, rubbing her face after taking them off of Kara’s.

“Yes. You kissed me.”

Just yesterday, Kara would’ve felt so uncomfortable telling Lena about this, since she did explicitly lie to her at the ski lodge. She braced herself for Lena’s reaction. Lena’s face, though, instead of turning to embarrassment, lit up in amusement.

“Really?” asked Lena.

“Yeah.”

“Well...did you mind?”

“No...well, yes. It wasn’t so much you kissing me but more that you were drunk. I was afraid of what it would mean. I didn’t want you to just be messing with me. I didn’t understand the feelings I’ve had for you. So when you kissed me, how you’d been acting towards me made sense, but I didn’t know what I wanted.”

“At least we sorted it out.”

They stayed in bed together, until Lena’s phone started ringing, making the nightstand shake.

“Hello?” asked Lena.

“Hello,  _ Lena _ ,” said her mother’s voice, distant and cold.

“What do you want,  _ Mother _ ?”

“You mentioned that this...alien was a friend of yours. Who exactly are they? Are they in college with you, or?”

“They’re just someone from L Corp who knows me,” said Lena, trying to hide the tremble in her voice. 

“I see, I see. Well, I shall be off. If you see any aliens out and about, you know who to call.”

Kara pulled on Lena’s arm. “You work at L Corp?” she asked.

“I renamed it, actually,” responded Lena. “I’m going to inherit it, so my parents have me working there for a few hours each day. I spend most of my time in R&D, but seeing everything else is pretty nifty, too.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I might head out there soon.”

“Of course,” said Kara, leaning in to kiss Lena.

Unfortunately for the both of them, Kara’s phone started ringing. Kara clenched her fists and turned to grab her phone.

“What?” said Kara, angrily.

“Kara, I know we said that we wouldn’t use your powers, like ever, but…” said Alex, speaking rapidly in a hushed voice.

“What’s going on?”

“I think we need them. There’s a situation at L Corp. It’s currently under fire by a ton of strange alien-like men.”

Kara hung up right there and then. She jumped out of bed and ran over to the closet, staring at the outfit that Alex had given her last year. There had been a situation a while back, in which an alien had come crashing into National City. Kara, without a suit, had been called by Alex, who somehow knew about this situation before anyone else, which ended in an alien behind bars but a Kara on fire. Alex realized that Kara would endanger both her identity as an alien and her clothes if she didn’t have a proper suit that could resist bullets, fire, and fraying. For a solid few months, Alex spent most of her time in a lab, trying to come up with a material that would be suitable. Once she did, she had designed it to fit Kara perfectly, giving it to her as a Christmas gift.

She slipped into the suit and hugged Lena tightly. “I’ll be back, okay? I just have to take care of something.”

“You’d better come back,” said Lena, “Supergirl.”

Kara smiled. “Supergirl. I like that. I mean, it could be Superwoman, too, but hey, I’ll take your name for me.”

“It’s because you’re my girl. Now go!” motioned Lena, walking up to Kara for a quick kiss.

Kara soared out of the window and flew towards the huge skyscraper that was emitting great amounts of smoke. She looked down at the site to see three humans with green gems in their chests, blasting the building with energy emitted from them. Rushing down to them, she squinted her eyes to activate her heat vision. She tossed one of them into the ground, subduing the human for a few seconds.

It only took Kara a fraction of a second to realize that L Corp was actually beginning to fall down. She flew under the side which was leaning over and pushed upwards, attempting to push it to its original position. She grabbed a bunch of construction material from a nearby building and speedily strengthened the base of the building, entering the parking lot to level it out. Kara climbed out and began to chase the humans, who had been kept in control by a bunch of armored agents in black. She wasn’t quite sure what the government was doing here, but she figured she could use the help. Kara soared towards the human that she’d tossed into the ground earlier and punched him with all the energy she had amassed while flying. He went tumbling up into the sky, nearly hitting and crashing into another building.

Suddenly, one of the humans hit her with his green beam, knocking her to the ground. A few armored agents rushed towards the human, trying to shoot him, but were blasted back against the building. A bullet came soaring towards Kara, who was ready to catch it, but it hit her shoulder and lodged itself in her skin, a searing pain pulsing through her. Two more pullets pierced her skin, one near her arm and the other barely missing her heart. She felt her body weaken as she lay still on the concrete, bleeding out.

“Kryptonite,” she muttered, seeing a stiff, cold woman walking towards her before she blacked out.

She woke up in a cell, dimly lit with green crystals all over. Kara rammed into the bars, trying to pry them apart with her strength, just in case the green crystals were merely decoration. Her first thought turned not to her own safety, but to Lena. Was she safe? Was she still in Kara’s room, waiting for her return? Was she worrying about Kara? Kara desperately hoped she wasn’t worrying, since she knew that Lena would get rather anxious and become impulsive when she was stressed out. 

“Well, an alien,” said a cold, poised voice.

“Who are you?” demanded Kara, shaking the bars. 

The stiff woman from earlier stood in front of her, staring into her eyes with such iciness that it sent shivers down Kara’s spine. 

“I believe you could guess, but I’m a Luthor,” she said. “And you, you’re just a dirty alien, polluting our Earth with your nonsensical ways.”

“Does Lena know you’re doing this,  _ Lillian Luthor _ ?” growled Kara, squinting impulsively to use her heat vision.

“So it seems you’re my daughter’s friend.”

“How dare you!” shouted Kara. “You hurt her! You bitch, you xenophobic excuse of a human!”

“She’s my  _ daughter _ ,” said Lillian, providing what little emotion she had into her words. “I  _ love _ her.”

Kara backed away from the bars and began to yank at the crystals. She swore that one of them shook, but it was possible that it was just the shrill laugh of Lillian Luthor. 

“Oh, sweetie. The entire cage is made of kryptonite. We suspected that you were from Krypton, much like Superman. You won’t be getting out anytime soon.”

For the first time in her life, Kara felt hopeless and afraid as Lillian Luthor clicked her heels down the hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot is only really beginning now, so I'm sorry if it seems really slow and short! The point of view is going to change, but I wanted to give you guys at least a little glimpse of what was going to happen soon. I think I'll have a chapter out tomorrow, in Lena's point of view!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara has been captured, and it's up to Lena to figure out how to rescue her girlfriend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I wrote an extra-long passage for you guys! A lot of things are happening here, in exchange for my little hiatus!

When Lena watched Kara put on that suit and rush right into the face of danger, fear filled her heart. She didn’t know if she would return; after all, it didn’t seem like Kara was used to being called to using her powers. But most of all, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust in Kara; it was more that she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that her mother was up to this. It could not be a coincidence that alien assistance was required right after Lena had her call with her mother. 

Alas, when hours had gone by and Lena had returned to her own apartment, the fear in her heart grew. Growing up with the Luthors, Lena knew that her mother was the most heartless of them all. Lillian Luthor had been quite the liberal one with her arsenal of belts and canes, and always the one to explain why Lena was wearing long pants on a hot summer day. Any wrong move and Lena would find herself unable to lean back in a chair without feeling her face flush with tears and searing pain from her back or legs. She found herself rejecting pool parties and any dresses that would show off her back, lined with faint marks from her childhood. As she grew older, she flinched every time anyone’s hand was raised or raised her own hands to protect herself. It had been Lex that gave her soothing cream and helped slather it all over her back to alleviate the pain, promising her that it wouldn’t hurt anymore.

Lena eyed the bottle that sat on top of her kitchen counter, but she knew that once she started, she wouldn’t stop. But as more hours passed and there was no word from Kara, the bottle became increasingly tempting. She grabbed the bottle and began to down it, many ideas flooding her her mind about what to do about the situation. If her mother truly did have Kara, she feared that Kara would never return. 

“Fuck it,” she muttered, grabbing her phone. She hastily emailed Winn and crossed her fingers, hoping that he was online. To her amazement, a response had come to her quicker than she’d actually written the email. “Thank gosh.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Let’s discuss a plan,” he’d responded.

Lena had made sure all her empty beer bottles were in the bin by the time he arrived, making her apartment look more like a typical college student’s apartment than a girl who struggled with alcoholic tendencies. Febreze had, once again, saved her from a series of questions involving the smell of all the beer.

“So, you think Kara has been kidnapped by Lillian?” asked Winn, sitting down on her now-clean couch. 

“Yes. She left this morning, but there’s been no word of her at all.”

“Damn, Lillian. I knew Alex had been keeping an eye on her, but now I know why.”

“Alex?” Lena perked up. “She called Kara this morning, asking her to the scene as some sort of superhero.”

“So, Kara told you about her being an alien,” said Winn, narrowing his eyes a little. 

“Don’t give me that look,” reprimanded Lena. His eyes eased. “I wouldn’t leak her to Lillian for anything - at least, not on purpose.”

“Alright, do you have a plan for retrieving her?” Winn rubbed his hands together, getting a piece of paper and pen from his pockets. 

“Well, I was thinking…”

“Continue.”

“Um, maybe I could call my mother for some reason, asking if she knows anything about a kidnapped alien.”

“...And we could trace your call! Awesome!” exclaimed Winn, standing up. “Follow me.”

After walking for what seemed like miles, Lena found herself in an unfinished room with many computers and tools set up in some sort of base. Winn plonked himself down in front of the largest monitor, cracking his knuckles before quickly typing on the keyboard. 

“We might’ve experimented with Kara’s powers…” admitted Winn, scratching the back of his head.

“We?”

“James, me, Kara. I hacked into the police database to find any petty crimes that were occurring so that we could send Kara off, but I made sure to hack any media outlets in order to prevent news of a new alien roaming the streets.”

“Alex is going to be so mad.”

“I knowwww,” sighed Winn. “Anyways, I just got linked into the cell towers within a 50 mile radius.”

“Try 100,” suggested Lena. “I don’t know where she is.”

“Got it. Do you have your phone?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“Give me your number, and we’ll be all set to go. Make the call when I give you a signal.”

Lena quickly typed in her phone number into Winn’s program and waited for the code to run, ready to pick up the other side of any phone call that would be made.

“Lena? If we’re going to do anything active, we need to call in Alex and Professor Henshaw - or, well, J’onn. They’re the only ones capable of physically bringing them back.”

“Alright,” exhaled Lena. “We can call them right after I call my mother.”

At Winn’s signal, Lena pressed the call button on her phone, her heart beating faster with each ring. Fear racked her mind again, as any interaction with her mother did. As someone who was now older, she feared physical pain less than the emotional pain she knew her mother was capable of administering. Lena’s mind filled with imaginary frames of what Kara could possibly be going through right now, possibly held down in some sort of creepy operational chair. She wasn’t sure if she felt terror or relief when her mother picked up. Winn smiled and gave her a thumbs up, a sign that Lena should probably say something.

“Hello, Lena. What a surprise,” said the icy voice.

“Hello, Mother. I was just wondering about that alien you were asking me about,” began Lena, trying to sound just as detached and cold as her mother. “Did you happen to get it?”

“You ask for what purpose? To stop me?”

“All you needed to do was ask me gently, Mother, and I would’ve given you whatever you needed,” said Lena, her voice growing sickly sweet. “After all, you are my mother.”

“Perhaps there is some sort of value in you after all,” commented Lillian, Lena’s heart going numb. “Worthy of carrying the Luthor name, possibly.”

“Is that pride I hear?”

“Must be your imagination. Anyways, yes. I did, in fact, manage to acquire such an amazing specimen. One of the last of its kind.”

“I see. Well, Mother, I just hoped to check in.”

“Goodbye.”

Lena let out a huge breath, turning to face Winn with a tired expression on her face.

“Talking to her exhausts me,” said Lena, dragging her hands down her face. “Did you get the coordinates?”

“Indeed I did!” said Winn, swiveling in his chair to celebrate his victory. “I managed to ping her location by triangulating the cell tower signals.”

“Perfect. Let’s call Alex.”

 

* * *

 

“I am going to kill Kara!” shouted Alex, storming into the small office. She stomped up to Winn and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up. “And most of all, I will kill you!”

“Alex, what did we say about death threats?” asked Henshaw-J’onn. Lena was still confused as to who he was. She knew that Henshaw was Kara’s European Literature professor, but from Winn’s brief conversation about calling the two of them, she knew something fishy was going on with him. 

“J’onn, he deserves it,” defended Alex, letting go of Winn. “Ugh!”

Lena made a mental note not to anger Alex. She didn’t want to admit that she was the one who had actually gotten everyone into this dangerous mess, afraid of what Alex might say. It wasn’t like Alex trusted her in the first place, since her last name was Luthor, but she was more afraid that Alex would take Kara away from her. Lena could deal with a few beatings, but she couldn’t stand to live without Kara by her side.

“This whole time, they’d been playing superhero! Do you realize how dangerous that could’ve been?” shouted Alex.

“Alex.”

“Sorry. I just don’t want Kara to get hurt. Look what happened already. I called her in, and now she’s just gone. God, I hate myself.”

“It’s not your fault those men started to attack L-Corp. We should get going, though,” said J’onn. 

“So the coordinates actually lead us to this creepy, abandoned shed in the middle of the woods right by us. You probably want to get in and get out as quickly as you can, and not get distracted by anything else,” said Winn.

“Winn, thanks for worrying, but we’ll be fine. Thanks for the coordinates,” said Alex, reaching her hand out for a slip of paper. Alex looked right at Lena. “You two will be staying here, though.”

“What?” exclaimed both Winn and Lena. 

“I’m serious. Having too many people might be a distraction. We don’t want to leave anyone behind, and by having only me and J’onn, we increase the probability of all of us surviving.”

“Ugh, fine,” Lena slumped in her chair.

“Well, we better get comfortable. Want to order some pizza?” suggested Winn.

“Sure. Let’s be sure to monitor these two,” said Lena, looking at Alex and J’onn. “You should go.”

“We’ll be back,” promised Alex.

 

* * *

 

They did not come back. Not after one hour, and not after two. Lena was beginning to feel that same funny feeling from earlier, since it seemed her life was replaying before her very eyes. She and Winn kept exchanging concerned looks as they waited impatiently. The trackers on Alex and J’onn had stopped moving a few hours ago, and Lena was beginning to wonder if they had been caught.

“It was a trap!” yelled Winn, staring at his computer and slamming down on his keyboard. “Lillian redirected her phone so that the signal would seem to be coming from there, but it’s from this other location!”

“Shit,” muttered Lena. “What about Alex and J’onn?”

“Their trackers were probably dumped at the shed while they were taken. We need a plan to rescue Kara, Alex, and J’onn.”

“Okay, um, what if we personally go?” suggested Lena.

“And get caught? Uh, no thanks.”

“We could bring weapons, you know?”

“Because we’re the most fit and even more apt than Alex and J’onn. Right.”

“Jeez, do you have any ideas, then?” asked Lena, throwing up her hands, frustrated.

“Well, what if we somehow give Kara powers while she’s trapped? I’m assuming that she’s been suppressed with some form of Kryptonite.”

“How does she get her powers?”   
“See, her Kryptonian cells get supercharged when she’s in contact with our yellow sun’s light. Theoretically, we could bring in sun beds, but practically, it would be impossible.”

“So you’re saying that she’s like a solar panel?”

“Kind of.”

“What if we were to harness some solar power and contain it in some sort of dart? We would shoot it at her to inject all the power into her.”

“That’s the only plausible choice we have right now, but how would we turn power back into the light?”

Lena shrugged. “I’ve been working on something at L-Corp’s R&D. It was for an environmental science class, a way to make energy more efficiently than the current generators our world has. I can modify it to fit inside of a dart.”

“That doesn’t answer the question, though.”

“Well, I read up on something a while ago about metahumans. The speedsters happened to have something called “Speed Force” in their system, and it could be taken from them and given to someone else. What I’m essentially making is a dart with a supercharged battery that drains with any human contact.”

“Okay, we’ll give it a shot, no pun intended. Can you make the dart while I make the gun?”

“Yes.”

Winn immediately pulled out his toolbox and scrap pieces of metal while Lena pulled up some blueprints onto the computer. She studied the diagram before getting to work, borrowing Winn’s tools. Lena knew that they had to hurry, because it was entirely possible that Lillian was already experimenting with Kara and creating even more nasty things to ravage the world. Once she created her battery dart and efficient solar panels, she set it outside the window and let it charge. Since it was afternoon, she wouldn’t get the charge as quickly as she wished, but it would get the job done. She waited for Winn to finish his device by tinkering with a few chemicals that lay around the room. Within a few hours, they were ready to set off for their rescue mission.

“Let’s go. It would be wise to have armor, but it’s possible that Kara will be able to protect us after we give her a temporary power boost,” said Winn.

“It’s all or nothing,” said Lena, her hands trembling as she placed a dart into Winn’s gun. 

 

* * *

The actual GPS coordinates directed them to an abandoned nuclear power plant. Lead lined all the buildings, likely preventing Kara from seeing out of wherever she was being held. Lena’s hands began to sweat profusely as she and Winn began to sneak towards an entrance. She could see the few guards that were patrolling the area, dressed and armed with huge machine guns. Although she was afraid, she was too determined to let it slow her down.

“What about that window?” suggested Winn, pointing towards a small opening in the building.

“We can try it. Boost me up, and then I’ll pull you from inside.”

The two hid behind a huge power box, peeking out from behind the corner to see if there were any guards around. As soon as Lena saw an opportunity, she grabbed Winn and sprinted towards the window. Silently, Winn boosted Lena up on his shoulder, Lena quickly grabbing onto the ledge. She struggled for a few moments, her arms seemingly too weak, but with one final burst of energy, she managed to climb up. She stuck her upper body out of the window, signalling Winn to jump up towards her. She grabbed his arms and dragged him inside as he kicked off the wall to aid her.

“That’s enough physical exercise forever,” coughed Winn, who was heavily breathing.

“Winn, we still have to find Kara. Come on, let’s go!”

It had been tiring for Lena, too, but imagining what was happening to Kara right now was heartbreaking enough to make her forget about any sort of physical pain that was spreading throughout her body. She patted her belt down to make sure that the dart gun was still there, and kept her right hand on it while she sneaked down the hall. Winn followed suit, his hands stretched out in caution while he kept looking over his shoulder. Lena came face to face with a metal door. She braced herself for what she was about to see, taking a deep breath. She turned the handle and pushed, holding her breath.

The door didn’t budge.

Lena cursed under her breath and was about the kick the door when Winn grabbed her shoulder.

“It’s a pull door,” he said, pulling the door open with ease.

They stepped into the room that the door revealed, half-ready for any sudden jumps on them. Lena spotted a glowing green cage in the corner, a fatigued and sad Kara sitting inside of it. Alex and J’onn were tied together, sitting at the opposite corner. Forgetting all logic at the sight of Kara, Lena rushed over to her. 

“Kara!” exclaimed Lena. “I’m here! So is Winn! We’re here to save you!”

“My, my, if it isn’t my wonderful daughter.” Lillian’s shrill voice rang, echoing as she entered the room through another door. “Seems you made the party.”

“Let her go,  _ Mother _ ,” said Lena, gritting through her teeth.

“She’s an alien, Lena. You have to understand that she and all of her friends from outer space are going to wreak havoc on our only home.”

Lena aimed her dart gun at Kara and shot it, only to have Lillian Luthor jump in front of it. 

“No!” yelled Winn, reaching his hand out.

“Well, if it was aimed for Kara, it must have been something to help her break out. Wasn’t it, little Winnie the Pooh?”

“I-i,” stammered Winn. 

“Well, I hope you’ll find these cells very comfortable. Except you, Lena. I have pla-”

Lillian Luthor dropped to the ground, unconscious. Lena pulled out a second dart from her pocket and gave it to Kara through the bars.

“That was a tranq. Glad my mother fell for it. This one is a battery dart, and it should give you temporary powers to break out of there,” informed Lena, kneeling on the ground next to the cage. 

Lena watched as an exhausted Kara stabbed herself with the dart. Electricity flickered about as the battery almost instantly emptied itself into Kara. Kara stood up and pried open the bars, and heat visioned off the ropes that were holding Alex and J’onn captive. Lena was surely glad that the battery dart had not hit her mother. The huge amount of energy it held would’ve fried her nerves. She didn’t like her mother, but she didn’t want to kill her. It was why Lena had loaded the tranq dart first, knowing that her mother would definitely show up in time to try to stop her from saving Lena.

“Thank you,” said Kara. “But nothing could fill me up as much as your love.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ, we should’ve just left her,” groaned Alex.

Lena blushed. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” replied Kara, hugging Lena tightly. 

“Thank you, Winn,” said Alex.

“We must get going. CADMUS needs to be shut down. I know where we can keep her,” said J’onn, nodding his head at Lillian on the floor.

 

* * *

 

“What the heck?” said Lena, the whiteboard in front of her shifting to reveal a secret lab. 

“The real Hank Henshaw built this to store aliens in it,” explained J’onn. 

“Who are you, then?”

“You know I am J’onn J’onzz, but I am the last Green Martian. I have no intention of hurting any innocent humans.”

Winn, Alex, and Kara followed Lena and J’onn into the lab. It was lined with cabinets full of chemicals in bottles, machines that Lena had never seen before, and a few huge tanks on one side of the room. J’onn pressed a button on his computer, making one of the tanks open. Kara placed Lillian Luthor into the cell, pulling out the tranq right before she left the tank.

“I’ll explain everything later,” said Alex. “I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner.”

“You did what you could, Alex,” responded Kara, her voice soft and gentle. “Besides, it all worked out in the end.”

“I suppose it did. Winn, I really can’t thank you more. And Lena?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you before. Clearly, you’ve proven to be a good person.”

“Alex…” began Kara.

“Don’t say it.”

“I told you so!”

“Ugh!” groaned Alex, putting a hand to her face. “I hate you!”

Kara stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. It was interesting to watch someone with superpowers blow a raspberry to a human being, even if they were foster siblings. Suddenly, the computer beeped.

“I’m sorry,” sighed Kara. “Duty calls.”

Kara flew out of the room, once again. Winn and Alex ran out, following Kara. 

“Would you like to stay with your mother?” asked J’onn. “Just don’t let her out.”

“Sure,” said Lena, sitting by her mother’s tank. It was odd to see her usually powerful, demanding mother so fragile and powerless behind this tank, knocked out by Lena’s own creation. J’onn nodded and walked out of the room, pressing a button to close the whiteboards behind him. 

It was about half an hour after J’onn left when Lillian Luthor woke up. Lena had been on her phone, reading emails from different companies and reading articles when a loud boom startled her enough to drop her phone. She spun around to see her mother had gotten up and was now trying to escape.

“Hello,  _ Mother _ ,” smirked Lena, standing up as tall as she could. 

“If it isn’t my wonderful adopted daughter,” said Lillian, the words sharp enough to slice her own tongue. “I strongly suggest you let me go.”

“Ah,  _ Mother _ , do you remember what I said on the phone earlier?”

“That was clearly a way for you to track me, dear,” responded Lillian, glancing at her nails. “Pity. One’s broken.”

“I told you that if you just asked, your wish would be granted.”

Lillian huffed. “As if I would really lower my standards.”

Lena glared at Lillian. “You’re the woman behind the glass, this time around.”

“Then,  _ Lena _ , can you please let me out?” asked Lillian, her words softening a little. Lena was shocked at how easily her mother had succumbed. 

“Of course, _Mother_ _dear_.”

Lena pushed the button and let Lillian exit. She grabbed a blindfold and rope and quickly bound her mother, spinning her around a few times. Lena exited the room and guided Lillian out of the campus, thankful that by now, it was late evening. No one would’ve seen her do such a thing. Once they were far enough away, Lena untied her mother and pulled the blindfold off.

“You’re free,” smirked Lena. “You owe me one.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” gritted Lillian. “But perhaps you are becoming quite the useful daughter, after all.”

Lena watched as her mother’s figure shrunk in the distance. She rushed back into J’onn’s office, where Kara had returned.

“Where’s Lillian?” demanded Kara, who had turned incredibly red and was fuming. “Where the hell is she?”

“I let her go,” said Lena, regretting the words immediately. Kara’s eyes turned from her usual baby blue to cold grey. 

“How could you?” exclaimed Kara. “She kidnapped me, Alex, and J’onn! Not to mention, she would NOT have hesitated to hurt you!”

“She wouldn’t hurt me. I’m her  _ daughter _ .”

“Doesn’t it matter that she hurt me? Do you even know what she did to me?” shouted Kara. “She put me under Kryptonite, stole my blood, water tortured me to try to get information about Medusa, very nearly broke my arm, and slapped me hard enough to knock me out.”

“She’s my mother.”

“You clearly don’t even care about me,” said Kara, her eyes turning blank as the color faded from her face completely. “I thought you cared about me.”

“I-i do,” stammered Lena. 

“She’s just going to hurt me and hurt everyone I love and hurt other aliens. I guess that doesn’t matter to you.”

“Stop, you’re being manipulative.”

“No, I’m telling you the truth. I’m telling you exactly what she told me. She told me to stay away from you, and she told me that I should have died on my home planet, and she told me to go back. I thought you’d understand. You grew up with her. I see no reason for you to be tied with her.”

Lena stood still, her head throbbing with all the reasons why she let her mother walk. There were just so many things she couldn’t tell Kara, because anyone else knowing would mess it up. She hated that she was being so cold and heartless to Kara right now, but she found no other solution. There was simply nothing she could say that wouldn’t reveal everything she had in plan. 

“I’m a pretty good judge of character. And you are not like your mother. She is cold and dangerous. And you are too good and too smart to follow in her path. Be your own hero.” 

With this, Kara left the room, leaving Lena to stew in her own feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't hate me.


	14. Chapter 14

Lena wasn’t sure what had just happened between her and Kara. Was it possible that they had broken up after being together for only a few days? Maybe. Was it possible that Kara just needed space? Maybe. Had she hurt Kara? Absolutely. The way Kara had glared at her after finding out the she’d let out Lillian was almost enough to chill her heart. It wasn’t hatred - no, no, Kara was probably incapable of that - but it most definitely contained pity. The one thing Lena was scared of more than hatred was pity, for she had grown up with hatred, but pity was a new thing for her. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel guilty. As awful as a mother Lillian was, she was still her mother. Lena knew how Lillian worked. She knew that even if she was trapped, CADMUS would not be taken down merely by taking Lillian. It would need to be disassembled, one by one. Lillian, being human, would also have to be placed in prison, as opposed to the measly holding center that was in J’onn’s classroom. 

“What the fuck were you thinking?” demanded an angry Alex, storming into Lena’s room. “You let her go?”

“Yes,” said Lena. “She is my mother.”

“And she also kidnapped three of us!” fumed Alex. “Do you know what it was like, getting to the abandoned shed? I could plainly see Kara, tied up, but it turned out to be a mere hologram, emitted by alien technology.”

“And…?”

“You must understand that if Lillian Luthor has alien technology, she has so much more power than we anticipated? When her men shot us down and brought us to CADMUS, do you understand just how afraid we all were? We didn’t know if you were going to come. We didn’t know how long it would take. We didn’t know if Kara would even make it out alive! And you, you immediately set our captor loose once we caught her. What were you thinking?”

“She’s my  _ mother _ . You, of all people, must understand how important our  _ mothers _ are.”

“My mother’s not a killer.” Alex turned to leave. “Oh, and stay away from Kara, Lena  _ Luthor _ .”

Lena sighed as she watched Alex storm out of the apartment. She knew that she would get this talk, which was why she had been practicing her best detached voice. She had anticipated that so many people would be hurt, but she hadn’t thought of just how much. It hurt her too, of course, but she couldn’t imagine just how afraid Kara must be feeling right now, knowing that Lillian was loose. Lena pulled out her phone to call L-Corp.

“Is the device ready and secure?” she asked the person on the other end.

“Everything is good to go.”

“Good. Launch it.”

 

* * *

 

Kara lay stretched out on her couch, bundled up in her coziest blankets. She had many boxes of tissues and a garbage can right in front of her as she watched TV shows regarding superheroes. She was now on her third pizza and her second tub of ice cream, trying to eat away the hurt that was encompassing her heart right now.

She thought that she could trust Lena. Really, the way Lena had apologized profusely for butt-dialing, and just how nonchalant she was about her being an alien, it didn’t line up with her setting Lillian free. Lena had been so pro-alien that doing anything for her mother just would not make sense. The things that Lena had told Kara about how Lillian was so partial to Lex over her had showed clearly just how dysfunctional their mother-daughter relationship was. The time that they’d shared, the feelings they’d confessed, and the few kisses they’d exchanged had felt so real. It had made her feel so human and alive for the first time in ages, and now, she wasn’t even sure how to feel. She felt cold and betrayed, but she still loved Lena. Kara cursed herself for falling so hard for her, but it wasn’t like Kara could help it.

Kara heard a soft knocking on her door, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced over and saw Alex behind it.

“Come in,” she croaked out, not realizing just how much she’d been crying. 

“Oh, Kara,” said Alex, rushing over to Kara and giving her a semi-awkward hug. “Are you okay?”

“No,” said Kara. “I feel weak, and hurt, and powerless, and human…”

“Human?”

“Yeah. I don’t feel like I could fly or do any Supergirl things.”

“Supergirl, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s what Le- um, she named me.”

“I like the name too.”

“Tell that to Lena.”

“I already had a few words with her.”

“Really? I didn’t hear.”

“Wow, you must really be tired.”

“Yeah,” Kara wiggled her toes a little and bit into another slice of pizza. “So what’s the deal with J’onn?”

Alex sighed. “Alright, strap in for a long story.

“The real Hank Henshaw was this anti-alien maniac who would hunt down aliens in his free time. He’s the one that build that lab behind his whiteboard - well, he just manipulated the space to look normal, at least. Once he heard rumors about a green martian - that would be J’onn - roaming around National City, he made it his one mission to capture him. 

“But soon, J’onn fled to the woods nearby. Hank chased after him, and that was the day Jeremiah had been out on a government expedition. Jeremiah got lost and came across J’onn, who saved him from a vicious snake. Jeremiah, not knowing his way back, stayed with J’onn, until Hank showed up. Hank tried to shoot J’onn, but Jeremiah pushed him into the ravine that was right there. But before Hank fell, he fired a bullet right into Jeremiah’s gut. J’onn shape shifted into Hank, who then returned to National City to resume his occupation as a professor.

“After teaching for a while, he heard news about this evil operation called CADMUS. That was when he knew that he had to assemble a team of motivated people who would fight back this anti-alien force. So, he sought me out for my badass attitude and expertise in bioengineering. I don’t doubt that he knew about you, and therefore recruited me because of that, but at least I’m still in the team. He recruited a few others, too, like Vasquez.

“Using the money that Hank had acquired from his alien chases, J’onn invested in making weapons strong enough for aliens. He got us armor and training so that if there were any hostiles, whether they be human or alien, we would be able to subdue them. We call ourselves the Defense against the Extraordinary Occurrences, or the DEO.”

“That’s...heavy,” mumbled Kara. “Does Maggie know?”

“Yeah. It’s how we met, actually. I was on a mission -”

“Nah, spare me the cutesy love tale for later. So, is that how you knew about the L-Corp attack?”

“Yes. I was there, with you, you know? I think you defended me, like, three times.”

“Alex…”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t feel like talking anymore. Do you want to watch this new show,  _ A Series of Unfortunate Events _ ?”

“Sure.”

Alex and Kara snuggled up together on the couch, eating too much pizza and watching as the Baudelaire orphans were subject to unjust circumstances over and over again. Kara’s mind, however, was occupied more with Lena than it was with Violet, Sunny, or Klaus. As awful as she felt for the three orphans and how much she grew to hate Count Olaf, her thoughts kept drifting towards Lena.

“Something bothering you?” asked Alex, noticing how tense Kara was.

“It’s just...Lena,” blubbered Kara, tears falling down her cheeks again. “I know we were only together for a few days, but it feels like I’ve known her for an eternity. I wish we didn’t have these stupid secrets surrounding us, and that we could just be together without her mother trying to wipe me out or me having to hide that I’m an alien. I can’t help thinking about the first time we met, our first conversations through the wall - God, she was so VULNERABLE then - and bonding over the few drinks we would have, how we first found out that we were neighbors - that hole’s still there - and that ski lodge and how she drunkenly admitted her feelings, and Christmas, and her birthday, and the New Year, when I finally got to kiss her and damn if it wasn’t the best feeling ever…”

“Let it out, Kara,” said Alex, stroking Kara’s hair softly. “Let it out.”

When Kara woke up the next morning, Alex was gone, and so was her desire to go to class. After all, she had spent the weekend being kidnapped by Lena’s mother and crying. But most of all, she didn’t really want to see Lena. She didn’t want to go into Philosophy and sit next to Lena and pretend that everything was all sprinkles and happiness, because she wasn’t sure that it ever could be. The alarm that had once signalled yet another day in which she would be able to see Lena crumpled under Kara’s rough hand, the gears smashing as Kara let out her frustration. Kara was grateful that Lena had come with Winn to save her personally, even if it did risk her sister’s life. She admired that Lena had gathered the courage and cunningness to be able to face her mother without much manpower to back her up. Seeing Lena’s face in CADMUS was a beacon of hope to her, a light that warmed her heart more than Earth’s yellow sun ever could. The evils she had endured at that horrible lab had suddenly faded away at the glimpse of her love’s face. And now, now that face symbolized betrayal. That beacon of hope turned into a tidal wave of hurt and Kara had no way to swim out from underneath the water she was drowning in.

 

* * *

 

“Kara! The kids are home!” rang Lena’s voice from the living room. 

Kara shut the laptop that she’d been writing another article on and sped along to the door. 

“Eliza! Alex! How was school, girls?” asked Kara, picking up her beautiful children in both her arms. 

“We learned about the alphabet!” babbled Eliza, the mirror image of Kara, pushing up her glasses.

“Yeah! Our teacher read us  _ If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… _ to us too!” squealed Alex, named for both Kara’s sister and Lex, and was a perfect mix of Kara and Lena. 

“What happens if you give a mouse a cookie, dears?” asked Kara, putting the kids down.

“Well, the mouse then asks for a glass of milk, and then asks for a straw, and then…” Eliza rambled on.

“I’m glad they’re enjoying school,” said Lena, who made her way over to Kara to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. 

“Me too. Gosh, they’re the joy of my life.”

“Only the kids?” teased Lena.

“Yes, only the kids,” smiled Kara, hugging Lena. “How was work?”

“R&D is going well, and there have been no attacks on us, media wise or alien wise, so I’d say it was a successful day. How was CatCo?”

“Well, Snapper has still been slandering my work, but he’s going to retire soon, so maybe I’ll get his position,” sighed Kara. “And, of course, no issues with any aliens.”

“That’s good!” commented Lena, walking towards the kitchen. “Do you want spaghetti for dinner? I can make a lot of it, since I know you’re always hungry.”

“Sounds good! Can I help with anything?”

“Could you, ahem,  _ fly _ over to the grocery store and get some noodles? We might’ve run out.”

“I’ll be right back!”

Kara made her way to the front door, but when she opened it, she was presented not with an apartment hallway, but a blinding white light. She closed the door and took a breath, opening it again. The white light had turned into a pitch black vortex. Repeating the process, she then came face to face with a vacuum. Startled, she fell in and found herself screaming.

“Lena!” she yelled, sitting up straight on her bed. She felt around, feeling only her soft covers and broken alarm clock, which was pitifully trying to move its minute hand. 

Kara’s heart sank. She should’ve known that it was only a dream. It was too happy, too good, too optimistic to be her life. She would never be with Lena. She couldn’t, not with Lillian running loose, other alien menaces everywhere, and with the awkwardness that stood between them. Heck, she skipped class just to  _ avoid _ Lena. She’d never skipped class before, not even in high school. Kara grumbled as her stomach did, walking over to the kitchen to grab some leftover pizza. When she opened the fridge door, she found a small pot of soup with a note attached to it.

“I figured you could use it,” it said.

“Thanks, Alex,” mumbled Kara, taking out the pot and trying to squint her eyes at it. A few beams shot out of her eyes and then shorted out, leaving Kara surprised and weak. “Must be the tears.”

She made her way to some of her other classes, trying to focus on the topics presented, but she found herself unable to think about much more than Lena. Kara slapped herself on the temples, forcing herself to really stay with it. Kara could not be with Lena. Lena could not be with Kara. Lena let Lillian go. Yet all these thoughts merely bothered her, because she, in her heart, knew that Lena Luthor was not like Lillian. She knew that Lena could be her own hero. Kara knew, even if it was only a tiny sliver of her, that Lena was truly good and there was a reason for everything she did.

Of course, none of that thinking was enough to get her out of bed for Philosophy for the next few days. That, and a missing alarm clock. Kara kept reminding herself to get a new one, but something seemed to be holding her back from leaving the campus at all. For the past few days, she’d been living off of deliveries and occasional plates that she assumed came from Alex. Kara avoided anyone from her Philosophy class, hoping not to catch her professor’s attention that she wasn’t there. But her professor being Cat Grant, it shouldn’t have surprised Kara when the doorbell rang and the person behind the door was Ms. Grant herself.

“Hello, Kara,” said Professor Grant, walking into Kara’s disheveled room. “Wow. This would be a nice apartment if it were cleaned up, wouldn’t it?”

Kara was too surprised by her professor’s presence and her calling her by her actual name. 

“Why, have you lost your voice, then, too?” asked Professor Grant, a bit of an edge to her voice. “What’s going on with you? Not much use as an assistant without showing up, Kiera.”

“I-i, Lena,” stumbled Kara. 

“I don’t believe that’s a full sentence.”

Kara sighed. “Lena and I are not on good terms.”

Cat Grant raised an eyebrow. “And this means…?”

“I don’t know how to go to class.”

“You simply walk out of your apartment, and say to yourself ‘What the hell?’ and get on with your life.”

“It’s not that easy, Ms. Grant,” sighed Kara. 

“Look, let’s say that Lena dislikes you, which I highly doubt is true,” said Ms. Grant, rolling her eyes. “Ugh, the way she looks around the room for you and mopes...Anyways, you can’t show that you’ve been defeated. You are allowed to be vulnerable but sometimes you have to stop moping and get your face out there. Smile at the world and tell it to go f itself. Tell yourself that you really can do it. Sitting at home all day doesn’t do jack. Now, do you still want to be my assistant or not?”

“Y-yes,” said Kara, surprised by her professor’s advice. 

“Good. I have a pile of tests waiting to be graded. They’re all multiple choice, so get your red pen ready. Oh. And you have a few things that you need to make up, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to do it. See me after all your assistant duties have been taken care of.”

Kara followed Cat Grant to her office, somewhat reluctant to face the world but glad that she was now getting something to do with her life and feel important once again. The more papers she graded, the lighter her mood became, helping her pick up her pace and get through all the papers even quicker. She was glad that she had such an influential professor who would actually go through the trouble to personally see her. It was amazing, how seemingly cold Ms. Grant could be, when in fact, she was a warm person who saw the best in everyone. It almost made her want to go see Lena right away, but Kara knew that it would still take time before she would be able to trust her again.

But she did know that she could trust Winn with her feelings. He, after all, had sought out her comfort when he found out that Siobhan was cheating on him. Although betrayal by setting her captor loose and cheating weren’t quite on the same level, Kara still figured he was the best person to go to. Alas, she invited him over to her house for a chat.

“Hey, Kara,” said Winn, bringing in the two coffees and a box of donuts. 

“Hey, Winn,” responded Kara, taking the box from him and setting it on the table. “Thanks for the, um, whole, rescue thing a week ago.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course! I mean, it was Lena’s idea, but I really did want to help. I’m glad the plan worked.”

“Hanks,” murmured Kara, shoving a donut in her face. “I wagnet te tawg abut loona”

“What?”

“I wanted to talk about Lena,” gulped Kara, taking a swig of coffee.

“Shoot for it.”

“I just feel like all of our feelings were somehow a lie. Like, wouldn’t it be perfect to blame my outing as a simple butt dial? How convenient was that? How great was it that we all had to leave the room, leaving Lena alone with her mother? Like, if she just let her out, bam, then couldn’t she have just lied about everything else, too? Isn’t it entirely possible that Lena’s just like her mother? I mean, I hope not, and it’s unlikely, but it’s still possible, isn’t it?”

“So,” sighed Winn. “When we were working together, Lena kept telling me to rack my brain for something, some sort of plan to get you out. I could tell that it was only you that she cared about. When we were building our dart and gun assembly, she kept murmuring about how it wasn’t going to be enough, and how this wouldn’t be the last time that Lillian would be behind some form of bars. It was like she had some other plan in mind. Like, I didn’t know she had that tranq. I thought our plan was over when she shot Lillian with the dart. She whipped it up in her spare time just in case. 

“And I believe that she’s up to something else, too. I think she genuinely wants to take Lillian out, but something from our assembly was missing that she wanted to add in more. I don’t know what she wanted to do, and I don’t know what she’s thinking right now, but I think you should give her a chance.”

Kara thought about this for a second before taking a second donut. “I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am,” smiled Winn, taking a more civilized approach to eating his donut.

“So, do you have any other girls you’re into? I hope Siobhan burns in hell.”

“Me too, Kara. Me too,” chuckled Winn, diving into conversation with Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed, it really encourages me!  
> Is there anything else I can add to the story that you guys would like? I do have a somewhat set plan for what is going to happen, but there's plenty of room for improvement.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a transition, sort of a filler chapter on Kara's feelings. An emotional journey, not a physical adventure.

Despite Winn’s reassurance that Lena was a good person, Kara still felt awkward looking at or even being around her. She resumed her daily routine after buying a new alarm clock, but she didn’t wait for Lena or get her coffee. After all, she was confused as to what they were to each other. Were they still friends? More than friends? Mortal enemies? Kara hoped that they weren’t going to have some huge battle in front of them. She would definitely lose, despite being an alien with superpowers, because her feelings would get in the way of attacking Lena. Sure, she could defend herself, but she wouldn’t have much of a chance if she wasn’t actually fighting back. 

When Kara walked into the lecture hall and looked at the essential question written on the board, she was glad that she’d spend a good amount of her time actually catching up to the coursework. Professor Grant had, of course, given her a bit of an extension on some of her papers, but Kara felt as though she hadn’t even missed anything. Besides, they were studying Machiavelli, someone that Kryptonians had always been taught to examine with great detail. He was a feared yet admired man on more than one planet. Her mother, being a sort of lawyer, had been required to master Machiavelli’s ways to be successful in her career. Machiavelli was the sole reason that half the people in the class were taking this course. Cat Grant, being the Queen of All Media in National City, had first hand experience with those types of techniques, making her the most credible philosophy professor. 

The door creaked open a minute before class started, a calm Lena walking in. Her dark hair was put in a messy bun, lipstick and mascara really making her eyes and lips pop out against her pale skin. Her dark pencil skirt and the black cardigan she wore over her white blouse contoured her body shape so well that Kara almost spoke to her. Even though Kara was still angry and upset about the incident, she couldn’t help that she was so attracted to the girl. And today, the girl was even more alluring than usual. Perhaps it was the fact that Kara hadn’t actually seen her since the betrayal, but one thing was for sure: it didn’t help that Lena sat down next to Kara.

“Class has started. Using the passage we read from  _ The Prince _ , answer the few questions on the board,” declared Professor Grant, sliding one of the boards to the other side to reveal another board full of text. Many students groaned, earning a harsh look from their professor, but the others merely internalized their distaste for the great number of questions that were to be answered.

Kara, however, was too distracted by Lena’s hand, creeping slowly towards her notebook. She tried to answer the questions, flipping back and forth between the passage and her notebook, but she couldn’t help but notice that Lena was going to write something on her paper. Although she was tempted to swat her hand away, she was curious as to what Lena had on her mind. 

“Hey,” it said, to Kara’s disappointment.

How was she supposed to respond to that? “Hey, thanks for letting out my kidnapper? Oh, and setting loose one of the most powerful anti-alien heads in National City?” That would not be a good conversation starter. There was so much Kara just needed to ask Lena, but she knew that if she asked them, all of the answers wouldn’t be the full truth. All she wanted was to know what was going on in Lena’s mind. It hurt her to know that Lena seemed to favor her mother over Kara, but it hurt Kara even more that Lena just wouldn’t trust her with her reason.

Like any passive aggressive friendship/relationship, Kara decided to ignore the message. Lena then leaned over and drew a little sad face, the expression on her face matching the face she had drawn. Kara noticed and almost burst out laughing at how adorable Lena looked, but she clamped her mouth shut and pretended that she didn’t see anything, continuing to write her responses. But something about Kara’s face must’ve given away her amusement, because Lena would not stop drawing little faces on Kara’s paper and mimicking them. Perhaps it was her red face, or the way she was biting her lip and nervously pushing her glasses up her face.

“You’re such a dork,” said Kara, finally cracking up a little.

Lena smiled, seemingly lighting up the entire room. “She speaks!”

“Of course I speak,” responded Kara, rolling her eyes. “But I have to do this assignment.”

“Aww, fine,” whispered Lena, the original sad face emoticon returning to her face. 

The rest of class felt a little less awkward. Those few words that they’d exchanged had been enough to break the tension between the two. Kara, at least, felt more at ease, despite the fact that she was still salty. But as class went on and Lena’s silly faces were making her crack up more, Kara couldn’t help but realize that she should try to respect Lena’s decision, however wrong it was. After all, human beings do act on a basis of selfishness, no matter what. Kara felt as though she herself might’ve let her mother out of she was in Lena’s shoes. The frown and melancholy that had become embedded in Kara’s face for the past week left, letting her relax her face for once. 

But something still felt wrong. If Kara really was Lena’s friend, then shouldn’t Lena trust her enough to just tell her? It bothered her that Lena was probably hurting herself by keeping it all inside. She just wanted Lena to open to her, to just let everything out. Kara was usually patient, but this was one case where waiting even a few seconds felt like an eternity. Besides, the sorrow and frustration behind each and every one of Lena’s faces might’ve been hidden to everyone else, but Kara could still see it. This was proof enough that Lena was hiding something.

Kara shook her head and sighed, focusing on the work set in front of her. She could deal with this later.

 

* * *

 

Kara was tempted to use her super speed in order to clean up the apartment. Her clothes were everywhere, dirty plates sat in the sink, and trash carpeted the floor. She didn’t want Alex, who was coming soon, to see how much of a slob she’d become. Even though they’d lived together for such a great percentage of their lives, Kara still felt awkward showing people how she lived. Before Kara could make a true decision, she heard the doorbell ring. She began to fly around, sticking everything in its proper location in a matter of two seconds before rushing to the front door.

“Hello!” panted Kara, wiping her brow.

“Were you using your super speed to clean the apartment?” questioned Alex, stepping into the house. “Well, at least it’s clean.”

“Of course not!” exclaimed Kara, frowning. “What could’ve told you that?”

“Hrm,” said Alex. “You seem quite stressed.”

“Of course I’m stressed out, Alex! For one, I don’t know what Lena and I are anymore. For two, I’m still so damn attracted to her. For three, she’s hiding something, and I’m scared that it’s going to destroy her. I’m so scared that her keeping things from me means that she doesn’t like me, even as a friend. I’m scared that she’s better off without me around. So yeah, I’m stressed out.”

“Wow.” Alex blinked a little after absorbing all Kara had said. 

“Well?”

“I think you need to go out and have fun,” concluded Alex. “Maybe you need to just get out there and cool your nerves. Just dance a little, maybe make out with someone, even get laid. Hey, it can be very relaxing.”

Kara sighed. “I don’t know, Alex. I don’t want to hurt Lena by doing something I’ll regret.”

“Understood. But come on! We haven’t gone out anywhere since forever! And now that it’s actually legal for you to drink, we won’t have to use that damned fake ID! I do have a place in mind.”

Kara felt uneasy as she sat behind Alex on her motorcycle, gripping around her sister’s abdomen while the motor beneath them roared to life. All she could think about was flying around with Lena in her arms, instead of riding a bike with just Alex. Alex was special, of course, but Lena was just something else completely. Once Alex stopped the bike, Kara took a look at the surroundings. It seemed rather sketchy, really, most things around them pretty beat up. Everything was just dark. This was the part of town that people were supposed to avoid, that people were warned about. But Alex seemed to know what she was doing. She opened the door, revealing a huge, lively bar with a bunch of aliens roaming about. 

“This was where Maggie and I had some of our first dates, actually,” said Alex, sighing a little as she recalled the memory. “That pool table had some interesting games.”

“Great,” responded Kara. “Sorry, that sounded rude. I do care, but I just don’t feel super great, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“Hello,” said a new voice. Turning around, Kara saw that it belonged to a very attractive alien. He looked rather human, save for his bluish skin, and Kara could tell that this was someone she would potentially be attracted to. “My name is A’llan. Who may you be?”

“I’m Kara. Pleased to meet you.” Kara stuck out a hand, A’llan’s warm hand reciprocating the gesture. 

“Would you like to get drinks together?” he offered. Alex gave her a glance and walked towards the barstools.

“Sure. That would be nice,” said Kara, giving a smile in return. 

“What brings you here?” 

“My sister, Alex.”

“Oh, that’s your sister! I assumed that was your mate. Well, glad to hear it.”

“What about you?”

“Well, I figured that I could potentially meet a stunning young woman like yourself.” 

“Hrm,” said Kara, blushing a little.

“What do you do in the day?”

“I’m just a college student. A senior. I’ll probably get an internship somewhere over the summer. You?”

“I’ve been working as a lab researcher, actually. I put on this plasticky mask every day to cover up my blue skin - something that I came up with myself - and have to pretend I’m a human. You are quite lucky that you look indistinguishable from other humans.”

“I suppose so,” admitted Kara.

“Where are you from? Krypton? Daxam?”

“Yes, Krypton. I was sent to protect my cousin, actually, but I got stuck in the Phantom Zone for twenty-four years. Quite unfortunate, but I did make it to my destination.”

“I’m from Urculoon.”

“I remember learning about that planet! You guys have a wonderful green star in your center, and you can all thrive off of mere water and the light that is provided. That must’ve been quite interesting.”

“It really was. How confused I was to be passing out when I got to this Earth. It took me forever to realize that I actually had to consume more food than just stand out in the light. Unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with any powers from the sun, like you.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Well, I make do. Makes me feel more human, anyways.”

“I don’t actually use my powers in my daily life, you know?”

“I can imagine that you wouldn’t want to get caught. There are a few number of people who are defiantly anti-alien.”

“Yes, I know a few people like that.”

Their polite conversation barely skimmed the surface of their lives, but Kara was already somewhat fond of A’llan. He was very kind from what she saw, and meant well. They kept sharing their simple ideas about life on Earth, a conversation that she’d actually never had before. She mentally thanked Alex for bringing her to the alien bar. She’d gotten lucky enough to meet a gentleman.

A’llan placed his hand on Kara’s and leaned forward. “You are very beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

He leaned even closer to Kara and began to close his eyes when she realized that he was trying to kiss her. She leaned back and stole back her hand from under his. Suddenly, her view of him as a gentleman was scrubbed from her mind.

“S-sorry,” she apologized, standing up and climbing out of the seat. “I just don’t feel comfortable with that. I have to go, anyways.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he sighed, getting up and walking to the pool table. “Perhaps I’ll see you around?”

“Maybe.”

Kara walked outside, and not seeing Alex’s bike anywhere, blasted off and flew towards her home. It wasn’t that she disliked A’llan, but it was more that she was still into Lena. She still wanted Lena and only Lena, and the idea of someone else kissing her bothered her. She didn’t want anyone but Lena to lean in and kiss her, and she sure as hell didn’t want anyone to try and get into her pants. When she arrived home, she immediately lay down in bed, reflecting upon the events of the night. It was so obvious that she had such strong feelings for Lena. They were not going anywhere anytime soon, and Kara had been a fool for thinking otherwise. She wanted to feel Lena’s arms around her as she fell asleep, she wanted to hear Lena’s heartbeat lull her, and she wanted to feel Lena’s warmth as they snuggled. She missed that feeling, and she was not ready to move on yet. 

Oh, how frustrated Kara was now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Kara opened her washing machine to find that her super suit had begun to fall apart. The places where the Kryptonite-laced needles had poked through while she was kidnapped showed wear and discoloration. She knew Alex was good, but Alex hadn’t really known a lot about Kryptonite when she was making the suit. Not wanting Alex to go out of her way to make another suit for her, Kara rang up Winn.

“Hey!” he greeted.

“Hey, you busy?”

“Nah, not really. Something up?”

“Kind of. Can you come over? Oh, and bring your toolbox or something with you?”

“Sure thing!”

Kara placed the worn suit on her kitchen island while she began to clean the rest of the apartment at human speed. Although it would’ve been much quicker and much more efficient to go super mode, she knew that by flying around at super speed, she was really exposing herself little by little to the world that was still hostile. It certainly didn’t help that the new President of the United States was a bigoted oompa-loompa who had a cabinet that threatened LGBT rights, women’s rights, and immigration rights. Since Kara assumed the physique of a Caucasian, her human form was never under scrutiny, but she knew that as an alien, she would be immediately examined and possibly subject to something worse than CADMUS. 

A knock on the door and a silent x-ray of the door revealed Winn. Kara threw the rest of the bread crumbs into the trash and dusted her hands before opening the door. 

“Hey, I brought some bagels in case you...wow...your apartment’s actually clean!” exclaimed Winn.

“Excuse me, it is usually clean!”

“There’s always at least one dirty dish.”

“Well…”

“It’s all cool. Anyways, what was so important?” asked Winn, setting down his toolbox and bag of bagels on the kitchen table. 

Kara picked up her suit from the kitchen island. “It’s falling apart.”

“Seriously?” Winn choked on a bagel. 

“Yes. I think the Kryptonite from CADMUS must’ve damaged it somehow.”

“Wow.”

“So, is it possible for you to help me come up with another one?”

“Uh...definitely. I mean, if you were to ever go out as Supergirl, you would need a suit that wasn’t dying.”

“Awesome!”

“Just…” Winn trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a sewing kit?”

 

* * *

 

It took a few hours for Winn to fully examine the material that had composed her last suit. She was sad to see it get cut up, and was certainly not going to tell Alex what had become of it. Although she figured that Alex would understand, it just didn’t feel right to go to Alex and say “Hey, you know that super suit you made for me? The one that took hours and hours of months you could’ve spent on something else? Yeah, Winn cut it up.” It had served her well. Perfectly, in fact. It might’ve itched here and there, but at least it served its purpose to the fullest.

While Winn examined it, she began to design the next suit. It would be the original blue, with a skirt like before, but this one would have a large ‘S’-like letter on it, which actually stood for the House of El. Days later, when time came for Kara to try out the suit, Winn had different ideas. First time around, he came to her with a skimpy cheerleader type outfit.

“I’m not going around saving people in this thing,” she had complained, covering up her bare stomach. “I wouldn’t...I wouldn’t wear it to the beach. Where’s my cape?”

“Capes are lame! Tell your cousin I said so,” Winn said with a mouthful of Chinese food. “Actually, never tell him that.”

“What about my design?”

“I knew you’d ask, heh.” Winn chuckled nervously, handing her the other suit in his bag. “I even sewed the ‘S’ on it.”

“It’s not an ‘S’,” said Kara. “It stands for the House of El, and it also means “El mayarah,” which means “stronger together” in Kryptonian.”

“Oh.”

“Anyways, I’ll try it on. Thank you so much.”

“Anytime.”

When Kara came out of her bedroom with the suit on, she felt like someone who was capable of saving the world, not some lowly college student. She felt like she was important and powerful. She was so excited that she’d forgotten about the glasses on her nose.

“Wow,” said Winn. “Um, you have…”

“Right.” Kara immediately took her glasses off.

“You look really pretty without your glasses on,” he said, standing up.

Before Kara even knew it, Winn had walked right up to her. They were standing nose to nose, Winn’s eyes looking directly into Kara’s. But even with her superpowers, she didn’t realize that he had leaned forward to kiss her. It was only after a few seconds of him pressing his lips to hers that she figured out what was going on. She pushed him back, a single tear coming out of her eye.

“Winn…” she muttered.

“Kara, I’m, I’m so sorry,” Winn said. “I-i completely o-overstepped my boundaries.”

“I thought we were over this.” Kara frowned, backing away from him. 

“I know...it’s just…”

“And it’s not fair to Lena.”

“I know! I’m sorry, okay?” Winn exclaimed. He rubbed his face a few times. “Gosh, I’ve kept that in for so long! I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Um...do you want to order in some potstickers? We could play video games, you know?” offered Kara.

“I don't know if I can sit and smile and eat potstickers and pretend like it is not killing me. I’ve...I’ve loved you for so long, Kara.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I get it. You probably need time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Winn.”

It was not okay. Kara was not okay. She thought that when Winn had told her about his feelings and they’d discussed that they could only be friends, that he would be better. She thought that dating Siobhan had helped him, but apparently his feelings for her had stayed, probably repressed even more. She felt bad about it, feeling as though she had used him or something by asking him to help make her a new suit. She knew that she owed him nothing, but she couldn’t help but feel awful.

Besides, how could she be okay when the love of her life was currently next door and a traitor?

 

* * *

 

Kara couldn’t sleep that night. How could she, when everyone around her was trying to kiss her? How could she, when the girl she had found solace and peace in turned out to be evil? How could she, when talking to anyone would probably result in an “I told you so?” 

She hated it. She hated that she loved someone she probably had never had a chance with to begin with. She hated that she had to hurt so many people. She hated that she was such a disappointment to everyone around her. She hated that she couldn’t be out as Supergirl every day. She just hated not being happy. 

She got out of bed and put on a thick coat. She began to walk around her apartment, but one moment found herself treading on the fallen snow of her school. With every step came a satisfactory crunch, a reminder of just how fragile and easily damaged something so beautiful could become. Sighing, she let both her feet and her mind wander.

Kara began to think about Lena. She thought about the time Lena had first kissed her. Drunkenly, but clearly with emotion. Her lips had been so soft, so passionate. Kara had frozen up a little when Lena kissing her gave her butterflies in her gut, and had been so tempted to kiss her back. She thought about the way they’d first kissed on New Year’s Day, sitting on the roof together. None of it made any sense. There were clear feelings that Kara had for Lena that she knew Lena shared. The way Lena had always tied her fingers into Kara’s, the warm breaths they’d shared, and the times they’d woken up together, sharing body heat under the covers showed no sign of treachery. 

But perhaps Lena had been acting. 

“Okay, Kara, thanks for those...unnecessary details,” said Ms. Grant. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, maybe you should get back home.”

“Huh?” Kara looked up, realizing that her feet had really wandered. She was now in Cat Grant’s room, and had apparently been sharing her thoughts out loud. A redness came to her cheeks as she ducked her head. “Oh my gosh, Ms. Grant! I’m so sorry! You absolutely didn’t need to hear any of it! I’m so sorry!”

“Kiera.” Ms. Grant cleared her throat. “It-”

“Do you have any jobs for me?” interrupted Kara. “I’ll do anything. I just want to do something. Please?”

“It is midnight.”

“Yes, but you’re here. Why are you here?”

“Well,” Cat started. “I had to deal with a few...incidences at CatCo. It took longer than expected, and I only just got back when you burst into my room.”

“Yeah, um…”

“Can you go photocopy these for me? And perhaps even fix the printer,” Ms. Grant said. “Oh, and maybe grade these quizzes.”

“Sure! Anything to take my mind off of…”

“I was joking…” Ms. Grant muttered, sipping her coffee. She never joked, but it seemed a fitting statement. Sarcasm and sass was her main form of communication, after all.

Kara rushed to the copy office with a toolbox, ready to figure out what was wrong with the machine. Turning around to check that Cat Grant wasn’t nearby, she pulled down her glasses to scan the machine. It seemed that there was a screw out of place. She kept looking inside of the printer to see where it had fallen out of. Meanwhile, she let the copy machine do its job. 

She opened the toolbox and pulled out what seemed to be the correct head of the screws holding the printer together. Twisting the screwdriver to the left, she loosened the panel and pulled it out, using her x-ray vision in order to see where to fish her hand into. She watched her finger bones pull out the screw and put it into the toner casing where it had fallen out of. She tightened it as much as humanly possible, and stuck the toner back where it belonged. 

Kara smiled to herself as she pressed the start button on the printer to see if there were any jobs that needed to be completed. When the printer did indeed finish the jobs, she turned to the copier, whose humming had long stopped. Closing her toolbox and grabbing the copies, she walked back to Cat Grant’s room, satisfied.

It surprised Kara how such a simple odd job had made her feel so much better. Although she’d never known how to fix anything, knowing that she could be helpful brightened her mood. She wished that she could feel like this every day. She wanted to feel needed. 

Besides, at least this let her forget about Lena for a while. All of her attention had been on the job immediately in front of her, instead of some silly emotions that dared to break her apart. 

She thanked Cat Grant and left the campus, whistling a little when she came across a very drunk Mike.

“Heyyyyyyy!” hooted Mike. “It’s Karaaaaa!”

“Ugh,” muttered Kara, quickly walk away.

“Aww, running away so soon? The fun hasn’t even begun yet!”

“You’re drunk,” said Kara, pushing him away a little. “Leave me alone.”

Mike took a step towards her. “Come on. You’re so cute, and I’m hot. I bet you’d be great in bed.”

“Leave me alone!” Kara yelled, walking back. 

“Come on, just give me a chance,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him. Mike was now beginning to lean towards Kara. 

After almost being kissed once and actually being kissed another time by another person, Kara knew exactly what Mike had in mind. She threw a hard punch towards his jaw and to his stomach in succession before running away. She could still hear the crunching of his nose and the groan that escaped his lips when she got home. 

“Why are people trying to hit on me?” thought Kara, crushing a rock to dust in her fists. “Why? Why? Why can’t people just leave me alone? I don’t need this. I don’t want this. I just want to be let alone for just a few hours without someone trying to kiss me!”

Kara was so emotionally exhausted that when she crawled into bed again, she passed out the moment her head hit the pillow.

As if the night couldn’t get any worse, Kara’s phone began to ring at around three in the morning, less than three hours after the whole Mike fiasco. She picked up once she saw that it was Alex. 

“What?!” shouted Kara.

“Lillian Luthor’s been captured.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for more supercorp, you can find me at super-luthor-gay on tumblr!  
> I'm thinking of writing another fanfic - a beauty and the beast au. I'd update it weekly or so, but each chapter would probably have better writing and more content, something that lacks in this fanfiction.   
> anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! next chapter a lot of things will be explained!


	17. Chapter 17

In less than a minute after Alex called Kara, Kara had slipped into her new super suit and had arrived at the scene. Although she was mildly annoyed that her day had been so emotionally tolling and that she’d barely slept, she held onto the hope that maybe some answers would finally be given to her. Maybe now, Lillian Luthor would be gone for good. 

From behind a large shipment container, she watched as Lillian Luthor was handcuffed and held by L-Corp men, strapped down in a chair. A shadow emerged towards the area, walking with delicate, calculated poise. 

“I should’ve known,” spat Lillian.

“I told you I was a Luthor,” the figure said, light finally casting over its face. “And that means hurting those closest to you.”

Kara felt a pang in her chest as she recognized the voice. Of course Lena had been behind this! But was that really what Lena believed? Was that the sheer cold that Lena had been so afraid was in her heart? 

“Oh, dearie, quite ironic. After all, we weren’t very close, were we? But I’m sure you managed to hurt your ah...friend.”

A small pause.

“Either way,” Lena snapped, “you’re going to prison.”

“As though mere bars could hold me. As though my men couldn’t just rescue me.”

From the shadows emerged more figures. Kara noticed Alex emerging with them, holding onto a man in bright green restraints.

“Remember, I’m a Luthor,” she lectured. “Oh, and I called the police.”

Red and blue lights lit up the area. Lillian Luthor glared at Lena as she was dragged away. Once the police were gone, Lena began to walk away. Kara stepped out.

“Wait!” said Kara, calling after Lena.

“Kar-Supergirl? What are you doing here?” 

Lena’s harsh green eyes softened and her posture relaxed as she turned to see Kara. She walked towards Kara before Kara raised a hand.

“I could ask the same for you.”

“What did you do? You let your mother go, and then you capture her again. What is this? Did you want credit for capturing her or something? Some sick sort of momentary satisfaction of being more powerful than your mother?” fumed Kara. “You didn’t need to do that to be strong, you know. Being strong and being authoritarian are two completely different things. And you were so quick to just sacrifice whatever we had for this?” Kara began to walk away.

Lena’s eyes watered a little as she grabbed onto Kara’s arm. “Wait. Please. Let me explain. Just...not here.” Lena’s head jerked over to the DEO members that were standing nearby.

“Five minutes. No more.”

 

* * *

 

Kara slammed her door open as she let in herself and Lena. It had been many days since they’d last spoken, and many days since Lena had stepped foot into her apartment. Kara pointed to the couch, motioning for Lena to sit, while Kara changed out of her Supergirl outfit. They sat in the living room, facing each other. Kara was still furious, while Lena gazed nonchalantly at Kara. 

“Begin,” Kara ordered.

Lena sighed. “I was adopted by the Luthors when I was 4. I was orphaned because both my parents were killed in an accident.”

“I know.”

“It wasn’t an accident. It was a double homicide masked as an accident. I watched from the kitchen cabinet as the killer plunged his knife into both of my parents and then planted false evidence around the house. When the authorities figured this out, they tried to gather enough evidence to be able to prosecute the murderers. But come time for the trial - when I was around 11, seven years after the incident - they still had nothing, except my word that I’d seen my parents get killed. 

“They told me that I was probably delusional, or that maybe I’d killed them. How ridiculous! Me, a four year-old, pulling a knife on  _ both _ of my parents! But since they couldn’t prove that, either, I was sent into the foster care system. The Luthors were the second foster family, after the Ulsters, who were undoubtedly drunkards who abused their children. Lionel and Lillian weren’t the best, but they were better than the Ulsters, believe it or not. 

“Anyways, I digress. I watched as the prosecutor struggled to prove that the man who had murdered my parents was guilty, even though I had watched him do it. The point is, I stopped believing in the justice system. Or rather, I stopped trusting that those who were in charge of finding evidence would sufficiently do it.

“Present day, think back to when we captured my mother. How long were we even going to keep her there? It would’ve been impossible to keep her concealed. In the human law’s eyes, we were detaining her against her will -  _ we _ were the kidnappers. We had provided her with no rights, no justice. I let her go - not because I favored her over you, but because I knew that keeping her there was more dangerous. 

“I want her to suffer. I want her to feel the pain that she brought to you, Alex, and J’onn. But we needed to have evidence in order to convict her of the crimes she was guilty of. So, when I built the tranq, I actually injected a nanobot that would record all the conversations she was having. Anything about CADMUS I saved. When I figured that I had enough evidence to put her behind bars, I called my men to find her.”

Kara went silent. All of this made sense. It aligned with the Lena she’d seen. But one nagging question kept her at bay.

“Why couldn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. I knew that you would want to be a part of this...plan, but once my mother knew she was bugged or being tracked, all our evidence would be gone. The less people that knew about it, the less likely it was that she would find out. I was scared that you would be taken away and tortured again for the information about this plan. I didn’t want that...again. I know my mother is up to no good.”

Kara stared into Lena’s eyes for the first time since their fight. She saw nothing but honesty and kindness, the same Lena that she had fallen for. Kara moved closer to Lena and touched her cheek. A deep pit that she hadn’t noticed before closed as all the answers finally fit into place.

“Gosh...you’re so...wonderful. I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry, too Kara. I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark.”

Kara brought her lips to Lena’s, a warm, tingly feeling pulsing through her body again. She felt Lena kiss her back and felt her slip her hands up her shirt. Kara deepened their kiss, a new feeling of desire and want shooting through her veins. She bit Lena’s lower lip, causing her to moan a little, a sound that Kara wanted to hear more of. Slipping her tongue inside of her mouth, she repositioned them so that she was lying on top of Lena. Kara pulled away, leaving both of them heavily breathing.

“God, I’ve wanted this for so long,” whispered Lena, pulling Kara back down.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

“I sure as hell don’t,” said Lena, biting her lip in a way that drove Kara’s insides crazy.

Kara pressed her lips to Lena’s neck, eliciting a new noise that Kara definitely wanted to hear more of. She sucked on her skin and grazed her collarbone with her teeth while Lena dug her nails into Kara’s back, to some extent. Kara trailed kisses up and down her neck, kissing a spot right behind her earlobe before nibbling on her ear. Kara felt a small tug on her shirt, a motion for her to take it off. Lena sat up to pull her own shirt off, Kara still straddling her. But Lena pushed Kara back unexpectedly, holding both of Kara’s wrists down as she began to return what Kara had done to her. 

“Don’t even think about using your super strength now,” threatened Lena, biting her ear.

“I don’t want to,” she whimpered.

And both their worlds collided when Lena slipped her fingers through Kara’s belt loops.

 

* * *

 

When they both woke up, the sun glared into Kara’s bedroom, absolutely blinding her. Overcome by a wave of intense x-ray vision, she put on her glasses before turning to see Lena’s soft back. She rolled over and hugged Lena’s waist, resting her chin in the crook of her neck. Lena began to stir.

“Whatever happened to five minutes?” teased Lena, flipping over.

“I said you’d have five minutes to talk,” said Kara, pulling Lena in for a kiss. “Now most of  _ that _ was not talking.”

“Fair enough.”

“Look, Lena…” said Kara. “I’m sorry that I didn’t have more faith in you. It wasn’t fair of me to assume you were against...me. Of all people, I should’ve been the one who knew. I should’ve been the one to back you up, even if you didn’t tell me.”

“Hey,” whispered Lena, rubbing Kara’s back. “I can’t blame you. I’m not angry. It’s not all your fault, you know? I could’ve trusted you, too. I should’ve. It was wrong of me to just completely turn without...any appropriate notice.”

“From now on, no more kitschy plans! Or, at least, we should talk to each other and trust each other!” said Kara, tapping Lena’s nose.

“Alright, alright,” responded Lena, hugging Kara tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

A few moments of silence passed through the two as they lay in bed together.

“So…”

“So?”

“What are we?” asked Kara.

“Well, we never really...broke up, did we?”

Kara thought for a moment. “I guess not. We fought, but we were so vague about everything.”

“Do you...just want to continue what we have?” suggested Lena. “I mean, I’m having a great time with it so far.”

Kara blushed. “Y-yes, of c-course.” 

“Good.” Lena placed a hand behind Kara’s head, stroking her hair softly.

 

* * *

 

When both of them actually felt like putting on clothes and getting out of bed, Kara attempted to make pancakes. It only took two batches to get the proportions correct and many more tries to not burn them, but Lena was very proud of her. Besides, Kara was very liberal with her chocolate chips, and Lena didn’t feel like complaining about getting to eat the pancakes that were more melted chocolate than actual pancake. 

“I swear I know how to make cookies, though!” claimed Kara.

“I’m sure, babe,” said Lena, making Kara blush. “Here, let me make the rest of these.”

Later that day, Kara did, in fact, prove that she could make cookies - that is, if cookies turned completely black and melted into one gooey mess. It frustrated Kara. When she made biscuits or cooked anything on the stove, it would come out perfect, but anything simple - as simple as pancakes or cookies, it was like rocket science.

“These are wonderful,” said Lena, tapping a “cookie” on the kitchen island. It made a huge “thunk” noise, and when Lena dropped it, it didn’t shatter or crumble apart. “I would use these as foundations for a building.”

Kara shoved Lena and threw cookie batter at her. “Hey! It’s not my fault that the oven doesn’t cooperate with me!”

“Mmhm. Blame the oven.”

Kara couldn’t help but feel so content as she spent the day with Lena. It was nice to get away from superhero duties and just get away from...life. She’d spent so many hours worrying about Lena loving her back that this time...this wonderful time was a way to somewhat make up for it. 

She wanted this forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're so cute I love them


	18. Chapter 18

“Alright, Alex, what was so urgent that I literally had to fly to your apartment?” asked Kara, stepping in through Alex’s window. She had received a call less than five minutes ago, asking - no, begging - Kara to come over.

Alex’s mouth opened to speak and she frowned when no words came out. She took a deep breath before trying to speak again.

“Maggie’s been acting funny,” she finally said, sitting down.

“Funny?”

“Well, she’s barely at home lately, you know?” Alex let out an exasperated sigh. “I know she’s been going to that alien bar I told you about.”

“Where is she now?” asked Kara, pushing her glasses up and crossing her arms. 

“...Probably at that alien bar. I don’t know. She told me not to worry, but that was a few months ago. So, I  _ might _ have followed her…” admitted Alex, grimacing a little.

“Alex!”

“I know, I know! I should trust her! But it’s just…I’m scared she’s going to leave me. I’m scared that she thinks I’m still not ready for a relationship. I’m scared that I’m going to lose my second chance. I’m scared of fucking this up.”

“Alex…” Kara said, walking over to Alex. “I’m sure everything’s okay. You just need to give her some space.”

“I know. I don’t want to be clingy, but I get so worried. I want to let her know I’m here, but I want to give her some space. I just...don’t know. I know she’s been hanging around this one alien girl - who, by the way, is very attractive - and I just feel like Maggie would be happier with someone else.”

“Hey,” said Kara, her eyes softening and her voice close to a whisper. “She chose you for a reason. She moved in with you for a reason. Of all the people, of all the aliens, and she chose you. It must mean something.”

Alex put her face in her hands. “I wish I wasn’t so damn scared.”

“I know.”

Kara sat next to Alex and hugged her tightly as Alex wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. Suddenly, the door opened and a very smiley Maggie strode through.

“Hey babe!” Maggie greeted, planting a soft kiss on Alex’s head. “Didn’t see you coming, Kara.”

“Surprise visit, y’know. Just checking on my sister and her girlfriend.”

“Actually, Alex, I want to talk to you,” Maggie said. “Come to the bedroom?”

“Sure,” Alex responded, getting up follow Maggie. 

“Stay here,” Alex mouthed to Kara as Kara tried to leave the apartment.

Kara wasn’t sure what to do. As a sister, she wanted to be supportive. As an alien, she had powers that could let her listen in on the conversation. As someone with a conscience, she knew spying was an awful thing to do. Alas, she decided to sit on the couch and twiddle her thumbs as a way of passing time.

At least, that was, until a loud scream came from Alex’s room. Kara rushed in, almost breaking down the door. Looking at Alex, she glanced over and saw Maggie with a knee on the floor and with a beautiful ring presented to Alex.

“Oh my god!” shrieked Kara, hugging Alex.

“She hasn’t actually...um...answered yet,” said Maggie.

“Alex, you fool!”

Alex uncovered her mouth with her hands, a few tears streaming down her face. “Maggie Sawyer, of course I do.”

Kara felt her heart swell in both happiness and envy. “Congratulations! I told you it would work out!”

“It sure did,” said Alex, as Maggie pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Alex’s ring finger. 

Kara really was glad that Alex and Maggie were now engaged. She felt honored that she was able to witness half of the proposal. But she was jealous that these two had a relationship that worked. It wasn’t that she was unhappy with Lena; it was that although Lillian was in jail, Kara still had to go on living with the fact that her lover’s mother wanted her off this planet. It was a strain, to say the least, but Kara felt like it was still worth being with Lena.

 

* * *

 

A few weeks later, Lillian Luthor was found guilty of crimes against humanity/humanoids. Kara sat with Lena in the stands, watching as victim after victim testified against Lillian. To add to it, the prosecutor played the most interesting clips from the bug on Lillian. 

“We will use this alien blood to create a disease to wipe out all of these aliens,” said Lillian, on the clip. “We can analyze these proteins to reverse-engineer something that these aliens have that we, humans of the earth, do not have.”

“We are working as quickly as we can, Ms. Luthor,” said another voice, with a deep Italian accent.

“Well, hurry up, before I fire you, Dr. Stephano.”

“Of course, of course.”

Without a doubt, the jury declared her guilty. Kara felt awful that she was glad to see Lillian Luthor sentenced to a life in prison, especially when she could feel Lena’s hand grow cold and grip onto her stronger.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked the minute after they left the courtroom. 

“Yeah,” replied Lena. “I know it was my recording that sent her to prison, and I know I wanted this, but I still...feel incompletely, y’know? It’s like...for once I could do good - even if it meant putting my own mother in prison - and still I feel like I’m not good enough.”

“You are good enough, Lena. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t think so.”

Lena’s eyes flashed a little, connecting the two dots in her head. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“By the way, what was your name before you got adopted?” asked Kara, suddenly changing the topic.

“Why?”

“Just wondering.”

“McCarthy. My name was Lena McCarthy.”

Kara nodded. “Do you want to talk more about things?”

“I think I’m good for today. It was surprisingly tolling, watching her trial. Can we go back to your place?”

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

Kara had a feeling she knew what was really bothering Lena, even if she didn’t explicitly say it. Lena had done all that work - betraying her adopted mother and isolating herself for so long - because of what had happened to her during her childhood. Her own parents had both been murdered, and sending Lillian to prison for hurting another loved one had been a way to deal with her anger and dissatisfaction with the justice system. And although the work had been distracting Lena from her real problem, truth was that while her parents’ murderer was on the loose, there was no way that she would feel truly safe or complete.

And perhaps Kara didn’t know how it felt. Perhaps she didn’t quite understand the magnitude of hatred and fear Lena had felt for this murderer, but she, too, had lost both her parents. She understood the pain of loss.

It was thanks to the Danvers that she never lashed out. It was thanks to them protecting her and helping her adjust that really let her grow up into someone who she was proud to be. Lena didn’t have that. She might’ve had Lex, but he was the greatest traitor to her of all. The Luthors didn’t treat her with half of the same respect that the Danvers were sure to give Kara. 

Kara sat down at her laptop, thinking about where to start. As an aspiring reporter, she wanted to show the truth and really let justice come to those who deserved it. She wanted to find this murderer and get him in prison, no matter what it took. After a few hours of researching, she packed her things and made her way to the library.

At the library, she skipped past her usual destination of the feminist texts and beelined for the books about law. Making sure no one was watching, she began to speed read the entire text, her mind working as quickly as she could to help Lena find some closure for her parents. But halfway through her speed read, she felt her phone ringing. Placing the book down - turns out, you can’t just learn law through a textbook speed read in five minutes - she picked up her phone.

“Hey, Winn,” she answered, not quite sure how to talk to him, since she hadn’t really spent time with him after the whole kissing fiasco.

“Hey, Kara!” Winn chirped. “Do you want to hang out at Noonan’s for a while?”

“Sorry, Winn,” responded Kara. “I’m working on a project.”

“Oh, cool. Anything I could help with?”

Kara paused for a moment, thinking of what she might need to do in the future. “Know anything about law?”

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, she was in the room of operations that she, James, and Winn had worked in to experiment with her superpowers. 

“So, what’s going on?” asked Winn.

“Okay, Winn, first off, are you doing alright?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you know, with the whole...ahem”

“I’m over it, Kara,” said Winn. “Besides, I’m lucky enough to have you as a friend. And tonight, I was planning on telling you all that, but any sort of project should also be a good rebonding moment.”

“I’m glad you’re my friend, Winn.”

“Me too. So! What are we up against?”

Kara sat down in front of the computer, relaxing a little. She explained Lena’s past experience with the justice system, and what had happened with the whole letting Lillian go thing. After explaining what went down with the trial a few days ago, she watched Winn’s face turn from confusion to deep understanding.

“I’m guessing you’re trying to put this guy in prison,” said Winn, rubbing his chin.

“Yeah. You really know me well, huh?”

“Sure do. I can hack into the police department and find some intel on this guy, like old times,” offered Winn. “Oh, what was Lena’s original name?”

“McCarthy. Lena McCarthy.”

“Got it.”

“Tell me if there’s anything I can do, okay?”

“Actually, can you look up the crimes that give a lifetime sentence? I can find who this guy is, but I need more information before I can actually start digging.”

“Alright.”

After a few hours of slaving at their computers, eating too many potstickers, and Winn drinking way too much coffee, Winn’s hyperactive voice woke Kara up.

“Okay! Okay! Okay! So this guy, well, I hacked into the government, okay, because I figure, hey, what if we pull an OJ Simpson and get him for tax evasion?” he said.

“And did you get him for tax evasion?”

“Nope! But I wrote a code for facial recognition and then tried to find this guy in any sort of security footage.”

“And…?”

“Well, there’s actually multiple counts of this guy shoplifting, but no one pressed charges, since the owners of the stores couldn’t afford it or were being blackmailed by the guy. Which, by the way, is another thing we can get him in prison for.”

“At least it’s something. Thank you, Winn.”

“Oh! He also murdered a homeless guy. It was from this obscure camera angle, but through some really sweet photo enhancement tech, I was able to find actual footage of him murdering the guy.”

“Why didn’t that ever get reported?” asked Kara, fuming.

Winn shrugged. “He’s homeless. Sad to say, but there was no one to care.”

“I care. Not only for him, but for Lena. And I think we got him.”

“And Team Super is reunited!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this is not how law works, but hey! This is a fictional world, so I'd like to pretend.  
> Also, this fic is probably going to end in a few. Yikes. Thank you for all those who have been reading this! It means a lot to me.  
> I've been having some serious writer's block with this, though. I'm working on the Beauty and the Beast fic, though, and really trying to make it flow, unlike this one. There's so many issues with this fic, but I just thought I'd kind of try writing fanfiction for once, you know?


	19. Chapter 19

“So I looked more into it,” said Winn. 

“And?”

“He’s actually in jail right now.”

“Holy shit. What for?”

“Breaking and entering. An old couple says that he broke their window and he climbed in, trying to steal something.”

“And if you give them that old footage…”

“He’ll be on trial for more than one thing…”

“Which means it’s more likely he’ll be going to prison.”

“Yep.”

“Still confused on how he never got arrested for murder,” said Kara, scratching her head. 

“Alright, so, I did some digging and found out that the security guy on duty that day had actually been...sleeping at his post. He was terminated, but the security feed was never combed through.”

“Wow. What a coincidence.”

“Yep. Great.”

“Let’s send the evidence to the police right away, then. Hopefully he gets sentenced to life.”

“I hope so too.”

 

* * *

 

Lena woke up to the sound of her phone beeping. Her news app was going crazy with some trial that had happened the day before. She clicked on it, squinting her eyes to protect her eyes a little, but the more she read, the more they widened.

“Holy shit,” she muttered, reading more and more.

“ _ James Pearson, aged thirty-nine, has been sentenced to life in prison. He was originally arrested a week ago for breaking and entering, but anonymous evidence led the police and jury to believe that he was involved in a murder of a homeless man five years ago,”  _ said the article.  _ “Thirteen years ago, Pearson had been on trial for the McCarthy case, but he had been found not guilty because of the lack of evidence.” _

Lena couldn’t help but feel joy and relief wash into her. She jumped up and rushed into Kara’s apartment, holding her phone to her heart.

“Oh, Kara, Kara, Kara!” she exclaimed. “Have you seen the news?”

“I have,” said a very sleepy Kara. “It’s rather exciting, getting justice.”

“This feels so good,” sighed Lena. “For once in my life, I feel...complete. I feel like there was this gaping hole that was eating me alive...and now...it’s gone! This terrible man is finally receiving the punishment way overdue. He’s finally going to pay for what he’s done!”

“Come here,” said Kara, reaching her arms for Lena.

“I’m so happy,” said Lena, cuddling with Kara. Kara seemed happy but surprisingly complacent. “Wait a second…”

“What?” said Kara, panic rising in her voice. 

“You!” exclaimed Lena. “You did this! You were the anonymous person to send in evidence!”

“Uh...what?” chuckled Kara. “I so do not have the skills to do that.”

“Winn! You and Winn, I mean! It’s so obvious. Come on. I tell you my sob story and not even a month later, this guy is in prison? It had to be you.”

“Alright, alright,” admitted Kara. “It was Winn and me.”

“Oh, I love you so much,” said Lena, burying her face into Kara’s shoulder and crying. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“He won’t be bothering anyone again.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

 

* * *

 

Dating became much easier for Lena from then on. There was no cruel, anti alien mother to kill her girlfriend. Lena opened up more to Kara, who listened to all her stories about Lex and Lillian and the things she went through. She adored watching Kara get a little jealous every time she spoke of her old boarding school and her friendship with Roulette. She loved the way Kara still blushed every time they kissed in public and how Kara always held on tightly to her hand when they walked, lovingly and protectively. 

Now that her parents’ murderer was behind bars, she felt such a huge relief. She was scared for other people’s lives, not wanting them to be endangered by this horrid man. She’d always felt as though her story during the trial had just not been convincing enough to send him to prison, and had always felt responsible for this injustice. And although she herself had not solved the problem, she had opened up to the right person who could help. Being a Luthor had always meant keeping quiet, so opening up had been so difficult for her, but Kara being so loving and gentle, she became an open book.

From cliché dates such as aquariums and interesting ones such as potsticker making lessons, the two had shared so many memories that it was a wonder Lena could fit them all along with the others. The love Kara shared with her slowly began to replace the awful childhood abuse that she had endured. None of it mattered anymore. In fact, she privately thanked the world for the way the world ran, since if she wasn’t a Luthor, she would’ve never met Kara. If her parents were still alive, her childhood wouldn’t have been so difficult, but she might’ve never even spoken to Kara. She was lucky to be able to devote her time to someone so wonderful.

But she was afraid. She had so much now, and therefore so much to lose. Her entire world could come tumbling down within a span of three seconds, and she didn’t know what she would do if such a thing were to happen. 

It wasn’t such an absurd fear.

Over the last month, Kara had grown somewhat distant. Lena found herself actually sleeping in her own bed more nights than at Kara’s, and they talked a little less. She tried to convince herself that it was just because of finals, and somehow that had been enough to quench her fear.

A week ago had been graduation. Lena finally found the opportunity to greet Eliza properly, while Kara awkwardly stood with her sister. She was hoping to find out some embarrassing stories about Kara as a child, but when Kara finally dragged her away from Eliza, Lena began to panic.

“I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries,” said Lena, staring into Kara’s eyes.

“You didn’t, don’t worry,” responded Kara. “Listen. I made reservations for us at that really nice Italian place close to us for tonight. You should dress nicely.”

“Is something wrong?”

“There’s just some things I want to talk about. Besides,” shrugged Kara. “It’s got killer pasta.”

Lena laughed. “Your love of food simply amazes me.”

 

* * *

 

When Kara knocked on her door that evening, Lena was not ready to see just how beautiful Kara was. Slipping on her heels, she opened the door and stared at her wonderful girlfriend, dressed in a sleek blue dress, revealing enough to make Lena melt but not enough to really be showy. Kara’s hair had been pinned up in a bun, something that Lena definitely wanted to see more of.

“You look...simply gorgeous,” commented Lena.

“You don’t look bad yourself,” said Kara, looking up and down at Lena, who had a short, strapless black dress on. “Let’s go. I may be eye candy, but real good desserts await us at that restaurant.”

Once they had been seated, Kara placed her hand on the table, over which Lena placed hers.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” whispered Kara.

“Yeah?”

“Mostly about us. The past few months have been just so amazing…” sighed Kara. “Like that one time we went to the zoo and there were those gay penguins from Pawnee...I remember we cackled like witches when we learned about their story.”

“That was really funny.”

“To think that same woman is our president now. Anyways, I couldn’t help but think about where we were headed.”

“Do you have any plans?”

“I think I want to work for CatCo. I’ll be staying right here, in National City. You?”

“I have to stay here, anyways, for L-Corp and all.”

“I’m just really glad we got to spend the past months together,” said Kara. “A great ending to school and all.”

“Really has been,” said Lena, suddenly becoming a little wary. “Is something wrong, Kara?”

Kara sighed. “I just...I don’t know. I don’t know if you’re going to like what I’m about to say next, and I don’t know if anything I’m saying makes sense, and I guess I’m just babbling again, oh, why do I babble?”

“It’s adorable. Keep going.” Lena was growing more panicked by the second. Was Kara going to break up with her?

“Well...um...do you want to live together?” asked Kara, fear in her eyes. 

Lena was silent. She was shocked, honestly. She had expected Kara to say something along the lines of “Well, I got bored of you” or “This isn’t satisfying anymore,” not asking her to move in with her.

“I get it if you don’t…”

“Yes!”

“Yes?”

“Yes! You fool, Kara, we basically live together anyways! I spend more time at your place than I do mine.”

Kara smiled. “I’m glad that I spent so much time thinking, then. We’ll go apartment hunting soon. My lease is almost up.”

“What about that hole in our bedroom?”

“Hole?”

“Do you remember when you got mad at Siobhan...and…?”

“Oh my god. The hole.”

“The hole.”

“We’ll need to get that fixed.”

“Probably.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the Epilogue. It's going to be really short and sweet, so stick around!  
> (It's 11:30 right now, and I wanted at least something for you guys, so I wanted to post this!)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is the last chapter of Fire and Ice. Thank you so much for staying with me through my first fic! (Even though it's lowkey the worst)  
> Sorry I couldn't update for so long - I've been super busy with school and competitions, but now I'm back!

Kara never knew that apartment hunting could be such fun. When she and Alex had been looking for the one she was currently living in, it had taken Alex multiple tries to get Kara out of bed. It was also excruciatingly painful for Kara to listen to the boring old real estate agents babble on about the floor area and the prices. 

But with Lena, real estate agents seemed more quirky. Apartments shone in a way that Kara had never seen before. The numbers seemed a little less absurd, especially since Kara and Lena were going to be splitting costs evenly. Lena had offered to pay for it all, being the heiress to a multi-billion dollar company, but Kara, being both stubborn and no longer unemployed, completely shoved aside the offer.

They were currently on their way to the third apartment. The past two had been fine, but Lena and Kara disagreed on what was more important. Kara liked the first apartment the most, because there were many Chinese and Italian restaurants nearby, while Lena preferred the second apartment because of how secure it was. Kara understood the reasoning behind Lena’s choice, but she pouted constantly on her way to the next apartment.

“If you keep pouting, you’ll get wrinkles,” said Lena, rubbing Kara’s face softly. 

“You have to remember that I’m an alien, Lena,” responded Kara, smiling sheepishly. “We don’t age as quickly as you earthlings do.”

“Does that make me a cougar, then?”

Kara gaped at her girlfriend as they got out of the car. “Well…”

“Let’s take a look at this apartment, shall we?”

 

* * *

Kara couldn’t help but excitedly run around the apartment when she stepped in. Like a loose child at a playground, she touched all the different parts of the apartment and kept calling for Lena to check something out. 

“The closet here’s huge!”

“It would’ve fit me a few months ago.”

“Lena!”

Lena laughed. “Well, you’ll forgive me for that when I tell you that I’ve just set reservations for the Chinese restaurant which is a ten minute walk from here.”

“That’s even closer than the first apartment!”

“And much safer, too.”

“Why didn’t we just come here first?”

“Suspense, of course.”

“Well, I say we live here.”

“I agree.”

The real estate agent happily handed them a clipboard with all the numbers and statistics of the area. “Well, if you’ll sign here, and here…”

“Done.”

“If I may ask,” said the agent. “What kind of living arrangement calls for having one bedroom?”

“We, uh…” Lena turned a little pink.

“We’re dating,” said Kara, giving her a threatening smile. “I hope that’s not a problem.”

“N-n-no, of c-course not!” stumbled the agent. “Well, uh...nice doing b-business with you!”

“Likewise.”

 

* * *

 

The hardest part about the move was packing everything up in her old apartment. Kara had really grown to love the place; from the huge oven to the wonderful view the windows provided her with. But what she was really going to miss most were the memories of this place. From first moving into the apartment with Alex, having a conversation with Lena through thin walls, and then making the hole through the wall to reveal Lena, there were layers upon layers of memories that were stacked in this apartment.

Kara sat on top of the wrapped couch, munching on some Chinese noodles. A knock on the door called for attention. Wiping her sweaty hands on her sweatpants, Kara made her way to the door. As she opened it, she was overwhelmed by a very small but feisty golden retriever puppy.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed as the puppy licked her face.

“Do you like her?” asked Lena, who was carrying a box into the place.

“I love her!” Kara said excitedly, petting the puppy as she sat back up.

“I got her as a sort of housewarming gift,” Lena said, a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. “I’m glad you love her.”

“Can we name her Potstickers?” requested Kara, resulting in a burst of laughter from Lena. “That way, I can say I love spending time with my girlfriend and Potstickers.”

“Now, now, we don’t want people getting confused when you say you ate potstickers.”

Kara reddened a little. “Oh, that could be a little bit awkward.”

“What about Ella?” suggested Lena. “As a tribute to your family’s name.”

“That would be wonderful,” Kara beamed. 

“Yeah?”  
“Yeah! But let’s get unpacking so that we can actually have somewhere to sleep tonight.”

 

* * *

 

Thanks to Kara’s super speed and super strength, unpacking and setting up the furniture didn’t take quite as much time as the either of them anticipated. They settled on the couch, eating tubs of ice cream while Ella sat by their feet and played with a chew toy.

“You know, I didn’t really use my powers often until you came along,” admitted Kara.

“Really?”

“I mean, here and there I would use my heat vision, but I always felt like I was somehow cheating the Earth.”

“What about me made you more comfortable with using them?”

“I wanted to be able to protect you,” said Kara. “I didn’t need to use my super hearing to hear you through the walls that time, but it helped to be able to tune in closer to you.”

“Can you believe that neither of us knew we were neighbors?”

“I can’t believe it. There were so many opportunities for us to find out, but of course it only happened when I threw a paperweight into your room.”

“I never did understand that until you revealed your powers to me.”

“I’m a lot stronger than I look! Even without my powers!”

“Mmm, I believe you.”

“Lena Luthor, don’t you doubt me!”

“How could I ever doubt you, my love?”

Kara blushed. She sat back on the couch, leaning closer into Lena’s embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Kara.”

“Can you imagine us in the future?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, just taking Ella for walks together, going to a park, going stargazing on the roof every so often, maybe even going to the beach…”

“...Maybe have kids?”

“Maybe have kids. It would be cute to see little Lenas running around.”

“Little Karas would be so much cuter.”

“Nope, nope, little yous.”

“Fine, fine. Little mes.”

Kara breathed in, the smell of Lena filling her lungs as she closed her eyes. She could hear and feel both her heart and Lena’s heart, the rhythm of them lulling her to sleep. Kara felt content. She felt like she could tackle any problem in the world, deal with any alien, and just be happy. She knew that the future would hold so many things for her, whether they be tragedies or blessings, but as long as Lena was with her, Kara would power through it all. 

She had sought out normalcy and stability for so long, and now, with Lena by her side, she had finally reached that normalcy and stability. Kara felt alive, the passion for living no longer trapped in ice, but burning alive as it fueled her life. Perhaps she would never get used to being content or feeling a purpose, but she truly felt happy.

And Kara could definitely get used to that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')


End file.
